Mega Man Power Force
by raeror
Summary: AU. This is gonna be a cluster of about all the Mega Man characters and franchises into one. MM1 Storyline. After 25 years of isolation, the evil Dr. Wily has risen in a bid to take over the world With his army headed by the powerful Robot Masters! But heroes rise to challenge his bid for world domination. Let the fight for the future begin. Chapter Edits for grammar in progress
1. Spark

Late July

4:00 AM

_He walked up to the plate with an air of confidence. Everything was on the line._

_Bottom of the ninth down by two. Two men on first and second. Two outs._

_It was all up to him._

_He stood at the plate, bat clenched._

_He felt the whole crowd cheering his name._

_"LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN!"_

_The pitcher threw a fastball, right over the plate._

_He swung, as hard as he could._

_CROOOCK!_

_Lan saw it sail back and back... all the way out the park._

_The crowd went ballistic._

_"LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN!"_

_He rounded the bases to the sound of roaring applause._

_He was the greatest baseball player who ever lived._

_And the whole world was cheering his name._

_"LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN!"_

_"LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN!"_

"LAN! LAN! LAN! LAN!"

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... snogggle, zorst, sa?"

"LAN! LAN! LAN!" He felt someone shake him up and down. "Wake up Lan, its time to go."

Lan Hikari lazily raised his head and looked at his little sister.

"K, just give me like... 5 more minutes Roll. I'll be downstairs."

"Lan, I'm not leaving, till you are walking with me."

"Can't I just get like, a few more minutes?"

"C'Mon Lan; mom, dad, and grandpa are already downstairs."

"But its 4 in the morning! And this bed is like a soft cozy magnet..."

" Lan.. please don't make me get the broom."

"Okay, Okay! I'm getting up!" Lan slithered out of bed.

"So, how do you feel?" Roll looked up at him curiously.

Despite hardly being able to stand, Lan was able to give somewhat of a smile.

"Now that I'm up, I'm not going back to sleep 'till I see him.

Lan and Roll made their way downstairs to the living room.

"We are going to Light Labs, right?"

"Yeah Lan, everyone's already in the SUV. I know your tired but.."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Lan started moving with a little more energy, leaping and bounding to the door...

POMP!

" Oh my God Lan! Are you okay?" Roll rushed up to Lan; now lying on the floor clutching his head.

"I forgot... that... our door has locks. Ow, that hurts so much.."

"Hold still Lan, lemme check your head."

She pressed her hand on Lan's forehead, then began scanning his head.

"I'm not picking up any fractures or concussions, but please don't do that again."

Lan sat up " Roll, I know it doesn't take a robot, but could please just get the door for me?"

"Sure Lan, just make sure to be careful okay?"

Roll undid the lock and opened the door.

"Time to go Lan."

As they approached the SUV, the side door opened.

"Lan, Roll, get inside quick. the faster we move the faster we get to see him."

"Sorry mom, just ran into some problems with the door; and the door itself."

His mom looked at him sheepishly.

"Just get inside, you should be asleep anyway."

Lan and roll got inside and buckled up.

"The kids are secure Yuichiro."

Lan's father turned around from the driver's seat and gave a tired grin

"Thanks Huruka. I'm afraid your father has dozed off, so I'll give him the cat nap. Don't you go asleep on me Lan. In fact, enjoy it. I plan on this being the last time you are up at this hour. You are getting back on your sleeping pattern for school. It's right around the corner, you know."

Lan groaned at the thought of school being just a few week away. "No problem dad, let's just go already!"

The car started up, and they were off.

* * *

Light Labs Parking Lot

The SUV pulled into the parking lot of Light Labs, the only vehicle around.

"We're here everyone," Dr. Hikari said. He looked over at the sleeping man on his right. " Since Thomas is still out, I think I'll just take his keycard..."

He was taken back as a hand gripped his wrist out of nowhere.

"Did you really think," Thomas Light said opening one eye " that I could ever be asleep at at time like this?"

"Grandpa! You're awake!" Lan, almost passed out himself, instantly re-energized."Can we go see him now?"

Thomas Light turned around with a twinkle in his eye. "Why certainly Lan, it seems that the time's come. Hurry now, everyone out."

Light Labs

After passing earlier security, the group had made its way inside. Despite being here earlier, Lan was still amazed at the size of the complex. It was like a tree, with areas branching out horizontally. Finally, they had reached the main computer directory.

"Please put in the password." The computer said, showing a number lock.

Dr. Light quickly put in the code.

"Password accepted, activating now."

"Your secret lab is underground grandad?" Lan asked

"Yes it is, right under the third elevator."

"The third elevator?" Roll was confused. " The blueprints said there were only two."

"Well Roll, is it were in the schematics, it would not be much of a secret, would it?" Mrs. Hikari added a sly smile.

They walked further until they reached the twin set of elevators. The brown, square, modern elevators showed no sign of change whatsoever.

" Is the third one in between the other two or something?" Lan was puzzled.

"It's on your side son." Dr. Hikari said. He saw his son rush tot he janitors closet.

"All I see are mops and brooms!" Lan yelled.

"Lan, your other side!"

"What do you mean-oh."

Lan was frozen at the elevator before him. It's blue, glowing, spiral design was just begging him to enter and reveal its secrets.

"All aboard everyone!' Dr. light called everyone in."

Once everyone was in, the door slid shut.

"Computer," Dr. Light said "Going Down."

It was a long way dowwnn..

But finally, the elevator stopped

"We have arrived at our destination. Have a nice day."

The group walked out. Shrouded in empty darkness. It was unsettling, just coming out of an elevator that was ready to belong in Sonic's Casino Night Zone. Dr. Light clapped his hands twice. And the lights came on in a linear straight path forward. Lan realized he was in a narrow corridor. He could almost touch the walls with both arms outstretched.

Dr. Light led the group, swinging around the corridor.

At last, they came to a door. Dr. Light stopped. The whole group tensed.

"This is the last door. What you see next will be something only know by the people standing here right now. What happens here does not leave this facility, unless otherwise noted. Is that understood?"

The whole group shook their heads. Lan was breathless.

"Then lady, gentlemen, and robot, I give you my personal laboratory.

The door opened, there was a great flash of bright light.

What Lan saw next almost made him scream with excitement.

The laboratory was HUUUGE!

It had a nice teal wall paint. Machines were around spinning, blinking, busy away at construction, only being shown by mirrors. _I could spend forever here._ Lan thought. _This place is beautiful._

"All my life," Dr. Light started "I have been working on the advancement of robotic technology. Making robots stronger, faster, better. But then, I began to try to intertwine them with humanity. I tried to give them personalities, feelings souls. I knew what a problem that could be, so I did it in secret. protected by the government. but to no avail, I could never quite do it, no matter how much I tried. But then I finally discovered Biometal."

He paused, turned around and smiled at Roll. " And with Biometal, I was able to make Roll. And the rest of what you see before you."

"Dr. Light!" Dr. Light! You're finally here!." A voice cried out.

"Here comes another one of my Biometal creations. Auto! Good to see you!"

For a second, Lan swore that this was all a dream, and the little fat Martian was part of his imagination. "Auto" did not look human at all. He had yo-yos for eyes, a green head. He had an apron-like hull, fit with a handlebar and red man-boobs. His round torso seemed to be mainly yellow. His limbs were green with metallic connectors. AND THAT GOOFY VOICE. If it was not terrifying, it was comical.

"So, this is the Hikari family? They all look so adorable!" He looked at Lan " so, how do you feel about your new family member?"

"SO then Auto," Dr. Light realized that Lan had less than 3 seconds to hold a straight face. "Is everything ready?"

"Why yes, of course. Down that room over there!" There was a white door with a DO NOT ENTER SIGN.

"I'll be back everyone. " Dr. Light followed Auto past the door.

Once they were gone. Dr. Hikari looked back at the group. " So Lan, what do you think of Auto? he seems nice enough."

"I think... I've been traumatized."

Dr. Light and Auto walked down a corridor until the reached a mirror with a door on its side, leading to the room. Inside the room were two pods. Dr. Light looked at the control panel. After punching in a code, a button popped up.

"Showtime."

ACTIVATING POD INITIALIZATION IN 3...2...1...

There was a flash of light, and a flood of gas as the pod room clouded up.

DOORS OPENING NOW

The gas began to filter out as the doors opened.

A few minutes later, the pod doors were opened. Dr. Light stared at his two creations. He found the microphone on the keyboard. Time to make contact.

"Rock? Can you hear me?"

10 minutes had passed, but Lan had not really noticed. Ever since his parents told him he was getting a brother, he had been so excited. Finally, someone to talk to! Roll was a great friend, and he had really grown to love her over the past few years, but she was not a guy. Lan really wanted a guy he could open up to; to play and hang out with,talk about sports, mechanics. Talk about dreams, fears...

He didn't want a brother that just manages and advises him on things. Is that really what he was gonna have to live with for the next 8 years? Some to boss him around? He knew grades were important, but he did not want that to come between keeping him from gaming, hanging with friends...

Was everything about to go horribly wrong?

That is when the door opened.

First came Auto, a tear coming down his eye.

Then came Dr. Light. He beckoned someone behind him. "Come meet your new family boy."

A small boy walked out behind him.

He looked.. normal. A regular ten-year-old boy with spiky black hair, and average blue eyes.

"Hi everyone." He had a child's normal voice, not yet gone trough puberty, but not quite high pitched.

" Its great to meet you all. My name is Rock."

He looked at Lan and outstretched his hand.

"Are you Lan? Hi there, my name is Rock."

He had a bright, exuberant smile as if he just knew the two were going to be best friends.

"It's nice to meet you brother."

Lan had no idea how to respond.

This robot had a perfectly normal face, perfectly normal white t-shirt and jeans, and just did a perfectly normal human gesture.

He just had to make a perfect first impression.

He imagined was never quite sure how their first meeting would go. He imagined that Dr. Light would show him off a little. He never quite expected for him to show himself off. And like that. Lan didn't quite have a Plan B scenario.

Plan B reaction then : Look like an idiot while a robot that could be judging your every action just stand there smiling and holding his hand out.

LAN . EXE HAS ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM, AND THEREFORE HAS CRASHED

"Wow Dr. Light, he's amazing!" Roll gave Rock a hug, breaking the moment.

" Yeah Tommy, you really mad a polite and handsome addition to our family." Dr. Hikari chimed in as Mrs. Hikari shook Lan.

"Well it's almost 5 A.M., so maybe we should head home." Dr. Hikari was already walking to the corridor.

"Wait, I gotta bring him along too." Rock turn around and whistled to the still opened door.

A Great Dane came rushing out rushing out, like a flash of Auburn fur.

He was instantly on top of Rock, licking him and woofing excitedly.

" Rush! Boy-" Rock could hardly speak with Rush on top of him. " I know your excited but down! Meet you new family."

" A doggy! He's so cute!" Roll was already gushing over him, scratching him behind the ears.

Lan was dumbfounded again. I ask for a dog for forever, and he just gets one off the back?

Then Lan heard Dr. Light say " knows many tricks already " and " does not poop in the house" and " already housebroken"

Okay. Makes sense.

Then he noticed that rush was already sniffing him. This was followed by a big sloppy kiss.

Rock laughed " I think he likes you."

He turned to Dr. Light. "Can we go home now? Won't someone be coming soon?"

Dr. Light checked his watch. " we got 5 minutes before people start clocking in. We can't use the front, so we'll have to take the back door."

Dr. Light pressed a button on the wall. A section of the wall opened, revealing a passageway. " Time to go home everyone."

Lan had been silent the ride home.

Which didn't go too unnoticed because everyone else was talking. How Rock was gonna affect the house. How Rock was gonna go to Rock was going to hang out with Lan's friends. Lan almost chimed in at that last one but realized he was being baited in. ITS A TRAP!

When they got home , Dr. Hikari assumed Lan was really out. " Rock, Take Lan to your bedrooms, Don't wake him up though."

Lan could feel Rock carrying him all the way to his bed, laying him gently down on the bottom bunk. Lan heard everyone say goodnight to each other and close their doors.

"Hey Lan? I know you're not asleep. Can we talk now?"

The jig was up. He had to say something now.

Lan sat up. " Okay, ya got me, what do you want to talk about?"

"I know I'm a robot, so that means I'm perfect, right?" Rock's face fell.

"Look, I'm still programmed to be a ten-year old boy. I do have thoughts and feelings. Feeling of a ten-year old boy. And I really have no experience whatsoever about out the outside world other than data Dr. Light gave me. This may be asking a lot, but could you help me out? Maybe I could hang out with some of your friends tomorrow?"

Lan remembered how Roll first acted when she was activated.

She was shy, she never knew how or what to act or say, pretty much rejecting any human feelings she had. All she really did was clean the house. She didn't know what to say to anyone.

Lan didn't exactly help, he had no idea what to say to here either. He did not know what to expect of this robot that was supposed to be a human girl.

It took time, but eventually they became close.

And now that Lan was older and had experience, he knew he could help Rock out just fine.

"Sure Rock, I'm meeting friends at the park tomarr- today at 1:30. You can come with, and bring Rush if you want. I'm already bringing Roll, so two more won't be a problem."

Rock smiled. "Thanks Lan, you're awesome." Rock climbed into bed

"Good night Lan. Sleep tight."

"Good night, brother."


	2. Meet and Greet

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE- CHRSHK!

An alarm clock crashed to the floor. And a girl was turning over in bed, snug in her pajamas.

"Ah, so much better."

"Roll, its time to get up, it's 12:50!" A high-pitched voice urged Roll to get up.

Roll felt something jumping on here back.

"Alright fine! You win Data, I'll get up!

"You sleep too much Roll Caskett. Your only 10 years old! Don't sleep your life away! Hurry up and get dressed!"

Roll Caskett got out of bed, instantly reach for her comb. Battling her hair took 5 minutes alone, but she managed to get to maximum spikiness, at the cost of blonde clumps littering the floor. She put on her black bodysuit, her red cap, a red shirt with 2 white buttons, red shorts with white cuffs, and brown gloves with white cuffs and red boots.

With Data on her shoulder, Roll ran through Caskett Mansion, all the way to the door...

A firm hand grabbed her before she could leave.

Roll looked back with surprise at the man before her.

"As much as I love you being conscious finally, I must ask, just where are you going so suddenly?"

"Glyde! You scared me! Why must you be so quiet?!"

Glyde was the family butler, I.E Roll's babysitter when her Grandfather Barrel was away. He was a tall man and was in his signature black jacket, brown shirt, black pants, and brown shoes.

"You didn't answer my question Ms. Caskett. Where are you going?" He had a stern look in his brown eyes.

"I'm going to Dentown park to meet my friends. I'll be back before 6."

Releasing her, Glyde added, " Take care, Mrs. Caskett, see you later."

And with that, Roll dashed out of the mansion.

* * *

Dentown was a beautiful area, with a combination of luscious nature, and small and large business alike. The late summer air was giving hints to autumn's chills. One popular area was the park. It had a children's playground that was next a small skate area. This was overlooked by Dentown Pond, a wide circular body of water which was home to a few ducks and nature lovers. It always seemed to have a few painters or people taking a picture of it, especially as it looked in the beautiful summer sky.

As Roll approached, she noticed people already there.

First, there was Lan, the goofy kid that always seemed to be getting in something. Bright and outgoing, Lan had even helped Roll out on a few of her mechanical projects.

Then Maylu, her BFF. Maylu was always the most mature of the group. Sometimes when they were messing into trouble that could have gone south fast, Maylu was already there to get them out of it. She and Roll would sometimes talk around about guys, music, jewelry. She studied harder, got better grades, and constantly got on honor roll more than anyone else Roll knew.

And then there was...?

Some guy that Roll had never seen before. But MAN, he...was...cute. And he had a dog too! Roll loved animals!

"Data, how do I look?" Roll checked herself.

"C'mon Roll? Are you really gonna go after this guy? You don't even know him!"

"A. He knows Lan and Maylu. B. He's super cute. C. Mess this up and no petting or scratching for a week!" Data became silent as Roll approached them.

"Maylu! Lan! How's it going?" She gave each one of the hugs. "Who is this?" She looked at this new stranger, a pretty boy with dark hair and cute blue eyes.

"Roll, this is my brother Rock. Rock, this is Roll, the genius mechanic I was talking about.

"Good afternoon Roll. You look lovely."

THIS IS LAN'S BROTHER? Roll's mind shattered. She knew that Lan had a brother coming from Florida soon, but she never imagined that THIS child model could ever be related to THAT ugly troll.

Roll was interrupted from here trauma when she noticed someone was pulling her shorts.

"Big Roll, down here! Hi!"

"Mini-me! It's great to see you! Looking cute as always!"

Roll bent down and picked here up, giving her a snug hug.

"Ruff! Ruff!" Roll notices that the dog had its front paws on her shoulders.

And started to lick her. Tremendously.

"This is Rush. I guess he likes you." Lan chuckled.

Something caught Maylu's eye.

"Well then, look who actually got out of the house."

Roll Caskett turned around. " Emo coming in at 12 o'clock."

Lan was happy. "Great. He actually made it."

Rock was puzzled at the figure walking toward them. "Who is that Lan?"

"That Rock, is my last best friend, Geo Stelar."

He had a red jacket with black lines, and white star shapes on the shoulders. His wrists were surrounded by disk-like structures. They were also laced in yellow, as were his finger-less gloves. He had a blue belt, navy blue shorts, and tall red boots.

When he finally reached the group, everyone went silent, looking at Lan to do the talking. Lan was Geo's best friend, Geo didn't smile, and didn't exactly carry an air of friendliness.

_At least, not anymore._ Lan thought.

"Geo, its great to see you!" Lan gave Geo a bro-hug.

"Hey Lan." Geo's voice had a dark, dry, saddening tone in it. He looked at Rock.

"This your brother from Florida?"

"Yeah, this is Rock."

Geo looked down at Rush, who was just standing at Rock's side.

"I don't think you ever mentioned a dog, did you?"

Lan thought quick. "Well surprise. Go on, introduce yourself."

Geo extended his hand "Geo. Geo Stelar."

"Rock Hikari. Pleasure to meet you."

"Welcome to DenTech City, California. When are you going back to Florida?"

"I'll be living here with Lan from now on."

"What kept you and Lan apart for so long?"

Lan tensed in his mind. _I never thought to make up a cover story! Oh snap!_

"I don't take winters very well. In Florida, it's warm year around. Now that I'm older, my parents hope that I will be able to stay."

Lan breathed a sigh of relief. _Good. He's got it covered already._

Maylu chimed in. "I think it's cool you have a brother. Lan. So, where are we going? The usual MaHa Ichiban?"

Lan's eyes sparkled. "Sure! #1 Curry it is! Let's go everyone!"

Roll just remembered that she never ate before rushing out of the mansion. She was starving!

"Say Lan, that walk won't be too far right?"

"Nope. C'mon, I'll lead that way!"

* * *

The smell of herbs and spices drifted through the air as the group sat and ate in #1 Curry restaurant.

It wasn't long after the group walked in that the table was already stacked with curry bowls, requiring someone from staff to get them before the towers collapsed.

"Okay, I'm stuffed." Lan put his last curry bowl to the side."

Rock was amazed. Lan was like a bottomless pit. Rock himself had only eaten 5 bowls, Geo ate 3, Roll and Rush shared 3, and Roll Casket had 4. Meanwhile, Lan had 12, Maylu 10.

"Lan Hikari, you are such a pig. You ate literally a dozen bowls. Your round as a basketball now! We are gonna have to roll you out the door."

"Me, you had 10 yourself! You can't walk anymore, you have to waddle!"

"SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, does anyone have anything they want to talk about." Roll Caskett stopped the argument. "I know grandad is coming home in a few days."

Maylu stopped yelling at Lan for a second "That's great Roll! He's coming back from Australia right?"

"Right. I hope he brings me a present."

"I can't wait to go to my first year of school here in California!" Rock's eyes beamed with excitement.

'NONONONONO! Its still July... I think. I don't want to talk about school and going back to ACDC Elementary!" Lan covered his ears.

"But I have news for school!" Roll Caskett grinned. "I'll be attending ACDC with Lan and Maylu!"

"Roll, you're getting out of private school? Great!" This came as a pleasant shock to Maylu. She was gonna go to school with her BFF.

Lan was not as thrilled. "Great. Now I get to have TWO screwballs bother me around."

Maylu struck first, delivering a sharp elbow to Lan's inflated gut. Lan doublee over, leaving Maylu slam his chin on the table.

"Ow Maylu! That really hurt-"

POWYA! CRKK!

Roll slammed her arm right into Lan's face, slamming him onto the floor.

"And a wicked clothesline!" Rock grinned "Now Lan, behave now. I don't want you leaving in an ambulance. You probably couldn't fit"

"Rock, I thought you were on my side!"

"On this side, I'm still in a seat."

"I'll keep that... in mind." Lan struggles to get back up, slouching on the table.

"Uh guys-" Geo started.

"Yeah Geo?"

"I'm going back... to public school, in- in August."

The whole table just seemed to stop. Geo going back to public school?

"G-G-Geo." Lan started. He was shocked. " You haven't been in public school since , since the... Peace. You dropped out 3 months later."

Geo closed his eyes and sighed. "I-I-I know Lan. But Mom wanted me out of the house more and back in school-"

"This isn't about your mother Geo, this is about you." Maylu interrupted.

Lan leaned over the table. "What school are going to?" If it was ACDC Elementary, Lan could be there for Geo. Geo was going to need help is he was going to stay in school.

"I'm going to Echo Ridge Elementary."

Lan's heart sank. "But, it would so much better if you were with us. You were in school with us before! What happened?"

"Echo Ridge Elementary wasn't built then, and we live in different counties. It'll-It'll give me a fresh start."

"Geo, are you ready for this?" Maylu looked across the table nervously.

"I don't really wanna do it, but I know it has to be done. It's for the better." Geo slouched in his table, looking at the floor.

Lan tried his best to pick up the mood. "I guess we don't have much time then. Let's go out somewhere else."

He stood up "There is a mini-golf course somewhere around here. Let's go check it out!"

Rock was puzzled "Don't we have to pay for all of this?"

Lan turned around and noticed the chefs were giving him the evil eye.

"So..." He laughed nervously. "How much did this all cost?"

"$85.73. So either pay up or get to the dishes." Was the response that came from the kitchen.

"ROLL! Thanks for paying for us. We love you so much." He tried to hug her, but she managed to push him off.

"Why do I have to pay? YOU at the most."

"You have the most money, you live in a mansion for crying out loud! Don't be so stingy."

"Uhhhh fine. But I go first when we golf!"

Roll left 5 twenties on the table from her purse and headed for the door

"Let's go guys, before Lan sucks me dry!"

* * *

"FORE!"

Lan Hikari swung with all his might as an orange golf ball. It ricocheted off plastic rocks, trees, and finally coming to a stop 3 feet from the hole.

As he cheered and patted himself on the back, Maylu was incensed. "Jesus Christ Lan! It's a golf ball, not a missile!"

Lan had a smile on his face. "It's my personal strategy, it's brilliant! Just look at the course now!"

Maylu looked. Lan put a few dents in the plastic, but he did get close.

"So, you got close. Next time do it without the cannon fire."

"Now look at where your ball is Maylu."

Maylu was confused. "I could have sworn my ball was on the hill, how did it get to the base?"

Wait a second...

She stared at Lan. "You didn't..."

Lan shrugged. "What can I say? I'm brilliant, right? That's why it takes me so long to play. I gotta time everything juuuuuuuuuuuust right..."

He managed to dodge the club that was within an inch of his head.

"WOAH THERE. Maylu, its just a game! Remember?"

"Your right Lan, it is! Let me congratulate you all over your face!"

As she was chasing Lan around, Geo made another birdie.

"Nice Geo." Rock said. "-3 going into the 5th hole." He turned to Roll Casket "This here is your par shot, Roll. Don't mess up!"

"Yeah, Yeah. Step aside." Roll wasn't too good at golfing. Only -1 when everyone else had -2 or better. And that was a long par shot...

"You can do it Roll!" Data cheered her from the sidelines.

Okay, here we go. Roll aimed at the hole and fired. It was getting closer, closer...

WHAM! A pink golf club slammed into the ball, knocking it off target.

Roll turned around, fists clenched. "WHO DID THAT?"

"Tsk Tsk Tsk. It seemed that Roll Caskett failed again."

She had pink heeled shoes, black pantyhose, a blue mini jacket, piercing green eyes, and hair that seemed to be horned going backward. But what caught Rock's eye was her shirt. More specifically, the skull logo on her shirt. It was a circle, big black eyes, and buck teeth.

"That's the logo for Bonne Industries, and I identify her as Tron Bonne. What's she doing here?"

"Ooooooh" Tron Bonne cooed. "Who are the two cuties Caskett? How did you get two guys looking like that to drool over you? Is she paying you guys?

"Get her Ms. Tron!" "Go! Go! Go! Ms. Tron!" Rock turned and saw two strange machine creatures behind him. They were small, no taller than a yard. They were blue from the neck down with little yellow buttons as if they were wearing overalls. But their heads were yellow with black, dilated pupils inside white for eyes.

"Thanks, Servbots." she looked at them with pride. Then looked back at Roll.

"So you want to play Caskett? Alright then. FORE!"


	3. Par For The Course

"EEEK! EEEK! EEEK!" Data was scared. He and Roll were taken by surprise and were surrounded by Tron Bonne and two of her hench-bots! He leaped onto Roll's shoulder to protect his master.

"Shut that monkey up!" Tron snapped.

CLICK! CLICK!

Immediately, two golf balls came flying in Roll's direction. One hit her right in the cheekbone, taking her off her feet and knocking her hat off. Tron caught her hat in midair, slammed it to the ground, and stomped on it.

"C'mon Caskett! You're not even being a challenge!"

Roll struggled to stand on her knees, still dizzy from the blow. Two golf balls, but only one hit me. Did the other miss or...NO. NO!

She turned and saw Data. "DATA!"

The robot had been hit by the other golf ball and was lying on the ground motionless.

Roll crawled to her best friend, tears already running down her face. "DATA! SPEAK TO ME!"

Data's monkey face screen had been cracked and was starting to glitch out.

SYSTEM SHUTDOWN.

Data's face simply became a cracked screen of blank peach, leaving only his shape and design.

"DAATAAAAAA!" Roll Casket cried for a few seconds, then seemed to pick herself up.

"It-Its okay Data." Roll got on one foot. "We'll get back to the mansion. And I'll fix you aaalll up... I promise."

She started to walk away.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere Caskett! I'm just getting started with you."

Tron yelled at her Servbots. "Pelt her again!"

Roll saw two more golf balls coming to her face. She hugged Data close to her chest.

"I promise Data... I'll protect you..."

THWACK! THWACK!

A golf club came in and swatted the round missiles away just as they were about to hit Roll.

Rock Hikari stepped out in front of Roll.

"That's enough of that."

He turned around to Roll. "Roll, stay down, I'm pretty sure you have a concussion."

"But Rock, I have to get Data out of here, and back to the mansion..."

"Isn't there someone you can call to come here?"

"That's right. There is Glyde. I think I'll call him."

"That's right Roll. Call Glyde, and lay down."

Rock gently took Roll, who was having trouble balancing herself, and laid her down.

He turned to Tron, brandishing his club. "If you don't leave right now, i swear to you, you'll regret it."

Tron let out a peal of laughter.

"So you're her bodyguard! It's a shame that I'll have to mess up that pretty face of yours. Oh well. Servbots!"

3 more servbots leaped out of the shadows, standing in front of Tron Bonne, clubs and balls at the ready.

"Swarm him !"

They instantly began pelting golf balls at Rock. He juked to the side, and the servbots began to spread out.

He still had the 2 behind him to watch out for. He deflected one as the other whizzed past his ear. He turned to the sound of rushing air and just blocked a golf club from coming down on his back.

"En garde!" Tron Bonne said with a menacing smile.

Rock swung, and Tron dodged it with a lovely flourished that left her back nice and open...

This time, he put his leg into it and lunged for Tron. But suddenly, a golf ball hit his ankle, knocking him off balance.

He stumbled, and then took a full-momentum backswing right to the jaw. He flew a few feet and landed on a plastic log.

Tron laughed in triumph" Too easy. That should teach you to keep out of Bonne business."

She turned to Roll "And as for you, Caskett-"

"Miss Tron! Ms. Tron!" "Help us! Help us!' "AAAAIIIIIIIEEE!"

"What's wrong guys?" Tron Bonne turned around in alarm.

"YOU!" What do you think you're doing?" She charged with her golf club.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

He hadn't a clue what to do.

It had been a pretty normal day, then in a flash, a mini-golf course became a war zone. Then that crazy girl that Geo recognized as Tron Bonne had shown up looking for a fight, and she had brought these living Lego Men with her.

Wait, shouldn't they be friends. They ARE on-

He saw Roll and Data go down and ran off

Okay, this is too much! What is wrong with this girl? We need to get out of here.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched. Rock was steel-eyed, teeth clenched.

"Get out of here. Go get help."

Rock walked down a green, club in hand, while Geo sprinted away into the next room.

I've got to find Maylu. This is insane! It's a golf course, not Star Wars!

Maylu was nowhere to be found.

"Oh come on! She has to be here somewhere!" After looking around long enough, Geo gave up. "I've got to do something!" He said to himself.

Then he noticed the stay golf club near him.

"I'm gonna regret this."

Walking back, Geo went up to the nearest servbot and smashed into it, sending the yellow bot into the wall.

He took the fallen golf club and threw it at a servbot position in a plastic palm tree. It hit with a thud, and the servbot came crashing down, knocked out.

A third servbot took a ball and swung it at Geo. Turning his golf club into a baseball, he managed to knock it right back at the minion, hitting it right in the temple.

"AAAAIIIIIIIEEE" It cried out as it flew backward.

The remaining two hench-bots were calling out for their master.

"Miss Tron! Ms. Tron!" "Help us! Help us!"

Geo ran forward and kicked one right in the back of the head, launching it into a plastic alligator's mouth.

"YOU!" What do you think you're doing?" Tron Bonne was enraged "GET AWAY FROM THEM RIGHT NOW!"

Tron ran on a bridge and jumped off, ready to smash Geo's head in with an overhead cleave attack.

Geo chose to dive away, and behind him he heard a nasty THWACK!

That's when he noticed Rock lying on a log.

"Rock!" He turned around to Tron Bonne, teeth clenched. "You hurt him."

"Yeah, and now I'm really gonna hurt you!"

Tron kept aiming wildly at Geo's face, swinging and lunging. Geo had to duck, parry, dodge, and block over and over again, never going on the offensive because he was too busy blocking and glancing behind him.

As they neared a water hazard of a tiny river, Geo saw his chance. Tron missed, and he caught her with a knee to the gut. She double over, and Geo grabbed her by the side and threw her into the water. There was a splash, and Geo took her club.

"Stay down, I've had enough of you."

Geo felt something at his foot and looked down. The last servbot was kicking him in the shoe.

"Stay away from Miss Tron!"

As Geo picked it up, it started to wail out. Geo examined it "Where is the off button on this thing. Huh? What are you-"

The servbot had a menacing smile on its face. It gripped Geo's wrists with its metallic hands

"Stun hands, go!"

Geo felt a surge of electricity go through his body. "ZZZZIPPP ZAAAAAP!"

He dropped the servbot and fell to one knee.

Oh god, that hurts.

Geo's whole body was shaking. As he tried to control himself, Tron took the opportunity with her club. Swinging with all of her might, she connected right to Geo's face. He came down headfirst on a volcano, unconscious.

"Never touch my servbots again!" Tron added.

"Yay! Go Miss Tron!" The servbot was jumping in glee.

Tron bent down and rubbed the little bot's head. "You did great too #32, you're getting a special reward when we get back home okay?"

"YAY!"

CLOCK!

A golf ball hit #32 in the back of the head. He fell face first into the ground, out like a light.

Tron was shocked

"Are you okay?"

She looked over, shock turning to anger.

"WHO DID THAT?"

"Forget about me, Tron?"

"You."

"YOU!"

"CASKETT!"

"How does it feel Tron?" Roll said angrily. club in hand.

"How does it feel to have something you love get hurt right in front of you?" A red welt under her eye was still growing.

She pointed her club at her rival.

"Answer me Tron! HOW DOES IT FEEL?!"

Tron Bonne looked at the ground, face empty.

"It feels," She was fighting back tears. "LIKE I'M GOING TO SMASH YOUR FACE IN!"

She took her golf club and charged.

"Hiya!"

Roll met her halfway, their club heads interlocking.

Both retreating back, both charged again and both started swinging.

CHRSHNK! CHINK! CRSSHH!

The animosity could be felt with each swing.

And yet, as hard as each swung, no matter how much they swung, they were no closer to putting away their enemy.

Then, something caught Roll's eye. She ran toward it, with Tron chasing her every step of the way.

Roll picked up a golf ball and chucked it at Tron.

Tron swung it back at Roll, and while Roll was able to duck under it, Tron slammed her golf club into Roll, pinning her to the ground. She dug her knees into Roll, pinning her even more.

"Got you now, Caskett!" Tron was laughing maniacally.

Tron swung at Roll's face with an overhead cleave, Roll blocked it with her own, and Tron pushed down, closer, and closer to Roll's face. It was getting harder to breathe...

Roll pushed her club out to the side, sending both weapons flying. She reached up and punched the distracted Tron in the jaw.

As Tron fell off her, Roll took some sand from a bunker and threw it into her eyes.

Tron fell back in pain, and she dashed to the nearest bit of water.

Roll picked up a club. Dashing over to Tron Bonne, who was washing her eyes out, Roll swung with all of her might, connecting the club right at Tron's forehead.

"Never bother me again!"

It hit with a nasty CRRRACKKKK! and Tron's head went into the water, out like a light.

* * *

"Mmmmmmm. Strawberry. Delicious."

She rested her head on the shoulder of her best friend in the whole wide world.

"I'm sooooo glad we worked out our problems Lan."

"Yeah Maylu." Lan said nervously while eating his banana split. "Me too."

"Oooooh. Are you two on a date?" Roll Hikari strolled into the ice cream shop.

Seeing a witness to his potential murder gave Lan confidence."You got it Roll." Lan said nervously, putting his arm around Maylu. "I finally got Maylu to fall for my incredible charm."

Maylu had an amused look on her face as she ducked under Lan's arm.

"No Roll, this isn't a date. We're just taking a break from golfing and getting ice cream. Want some?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Roll pressed her face against the glass.

"Lemme see... I want bubble gum!"

"Okay then sweetie, what toppings?"

"This one... and this one... and this one. How many can I pick."

"As wanna as you want kiddo. Lan is treating us, right Lan?"

Lan laughed...nervously. "Of course! have whatever you want..."

After she picked out 6 toppings, she then asked for it super sized.

Total amount spent on everyone : $27.

Lan sighed and swiped his credit card.

This card was for emergencies only. Not ice cream. Mom and Dad are gonna kill me.

He felt Roll giving him a hug.

"Thanks, Lan, I had to walk Rush around the city, and I was tired from all that walking. Ice cream will be just the thing I need to cool down!"

"Yeah Lan. You're a great brother." Maylu was finishing off her ice cream. "Wait, Is that Rush clawing at the door? What's he got in his mouth?"

Roll opened the door. The dog bounded to Maylu's feet, and dropped a golf club out of his jaws.

Maylu picked it up, avoiding the drool.

"Oh would you look at that, a golf club." Maylu began swinging it around aimlessly... but it was enough to make Lan jump from his seat.

"Geez, Lan relax. Let's say we both go back to the golf course now?"

As they strolled up to the front entrance, Maylu noticed two things in the parking lot.

A Das Auto with a familiar shaped skull logo on the side.

And a familiar Acura in a nearby slot.

She put two and two together.

NO.

She started dashing for the door, tightening her grip on the club.

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

They've probably already started killing each other. I leave for 10 minutes...

She found what she expected.

"Ms. Caskett, are you sure that you're going to be alright? I think your cheekbone may be cracked."

"Forget about me Glyde! What about Data? Will he be alright?"

Glyde examined Data, running his fingers through the monkey robot's exterior. He gave the crack a nasty look but didn't seem too worried. "He took a decent beating all right, but with the Biometal in him and some time in the repair shop, he'll be bouncing before tea time."

Roll's eyes lit up, and she hugged her butler."That's the best news I've heard all day!"

"I am more concerned about your friends though-"

"ROLL! What happened here?" Maylu burst into the room, golf club in hand.

"Ah, I see Ms. Sakurai is all right. And Mr. Hikari! That's two this go around! We're on fire!"

Maylu looked around. "Where's Tron-"

She saw her sitting on the ground, leaning next to a windmill, still out cold.

Lan was shocked.

"I know that those two hated each other, but this is too much!"

He and Maylu had to step over a few down servbots to reach Glyde and Roll.

"Wait," Lan became alarmed. " Where are Geo and Rock?"

"Ah ooa herya." Rock Hikari was stirring and sitting on a log.

Lan walked up to him, concern all over his face. "Your jaw is broken, don't talk."

"And Mr. Stelar is still unconscious. Judging from all that blood, he's got a busted nose."

Glyde picked Geo up, and Lan noticed how much of a tiny ragdoll that Geo looked on him.

"So, what do we do with Tron?" Maylu was using Tron's phone. "Here, let me call Teisel..."

"Teisel? This is Maylu, Tron's friend."

"Yes, soccer season has not started yet."

"Yes, Tron got in a fight with Roll."

"We're at Dentown's Mini-Golf park."

"Yes, I'll keep Tron as a starter on the team with me and Roll."

"Okay, bye."

"So," Maylu put Tron's phone back in her pocket. "He'll be here in an hour."

"And we will be in Caskett mansion tending the wounded and wondering what to say to your parents." He gave Lan his car keys. "Unlock the doors, we'll be outside shortly. Lan headed for the door.

"I'll get Roll and Rush. Maylu, take care of Rock."

Before he exited the door, Lan looked at the course one last time

"This means I won right? I mean, I was -4."


	4. Disturbance

He wasn't ready.

25 years to prepare, and he still wasn't ready.

Ever since Albert Wily left Thomas Light for dead on the losing end of a fight in 1990, Dr. Light had been thinking of how to stop Wily if he had ever risen again.

Now Wily was on the verge on unleashing 25 years worth of pure hell, and Thomas couldn't do a thing about it.

Dear God help us all.

"OH MY GOD LAN! ROCK! You're both okay!"

Thomas looked up to the cameras.

Rock was here.

Maybe...

Maybe there was still time.

He rushed to the elevator.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lan could hear his parents fighting.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Lan's father screamed. "DID YOU FORGET WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?!"

He was trembling; his parents never really fought, especially like this.

And what exactly was grandpa hiding?

"Children, you're here!" Thomas Light came rushing down the hall.

"Grandpa, what's going o-"

Thomas grabbed Lan and Rock.

"I'll explain everything downstairs. Let's go, double time!"

Roll Caskett was annoyed.

"And what about the rest of us? What are we, chopped liver?"

"Not to worry Ms. Caskett! I'll contact all of your guardians later. Now then, off!"

Roll watched as Lan, Rock, and Thomas disappeared behind the elevator... secret side door?

Okay, now Roll just had to get in there. She wasn't going to sit back and be simply brushed aside.

And something was up with Thomas Light.

Roll went toward the door, but it had moved back to the normal side wall.

That works, only if you didn't know where to look.

Three knocks later, and the elevator was right in front of her.

"Please put in the password." The computer said, showing a number lock.

"Damn it! There's a password! No way to know what it is!"

She pounded on the door. "Someone tell me something! Don't leave me hanging here!"

Roll Hikari stepped past her and put in the password. 12-17-1987

PASSWORD ACCEPTED

"I wanna go down too." She said. "I don't trust Granddad right now."

They had reached inside the lab, walking in briskly without a word.

Then they reached the door.

MEGA MAN INITIATIVE

Mega Man? Lan thought.

More secrets.

More surprises.

Enough is enough.

Lan stopped in his tracks. "Grandpa, just what is going on?"

"Not now Lan! I promise you, I'll explain everything later. We have to-"

Thomas stopped and turned around

"move?"

Rock was holding Lan's wrist, a scowl on his face.

"Dr. Light, we are not moving a single step more forward until you tell us what is going on NOW!"

A long silence followed.

Thomas could feel his blood boil. DAMN IT! WHY WON'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME? I HAVE TO GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! EVERYTHING IS AT RISK!

He calmed down. He knew he was wrong, hiding this from his family and demanding so much.

"Alright then. That man who you is saw is Albert W. Wily. A former colleague and of mine. We were both among the top scientist in the 20th century, pushing the field of robotics by light-years together. However,"

He paused, looking at the ground. His voice started to have a twinge of sadness. "However, life wasn't as good to him as it was to me. I had more accomplishments, more awards. He couldn't take it. We started to grow apart."

"Everything came to a head in 1990. I had build 6 machines, called Robot Masters, designed to perform specific everyday duties. These machines would anchor humankind as the world went into the next millennium."

"Or so I thought."

"Shortly before the unveiling of my robots, Wily attacked me one night in my lab. He almost beat me to death with his ninjutsu skills. He took my Robot Master and disappeared into the night. He hasn't been heard of since."

"Now Wily returns in a bid to conquer the world. The armies and governments of the world will be unable to stop him. Only one thing can."

Thomas paused and looked at the door.

"The Mega Man Initiative was designed to turn a Biometallic organism and create a warrior of unimaginable potential. "Mega Man" would be the only thing that would save the world from destruction."

He turned back to Rock.

"Rock, I know what I ask of you is of great danger and risk, but.."

"Will you become Mega Man?"

Rock paused for a moment.

Did Dr. Light just seriously ask that question?

That...

that was beyond insane.

That's suicide.

Dr. Light wanted him to become a little super soldier to fight an entire army? Without any kind of preparation whatsoever? That's ridiculous.

He was trying to find a way to say no.

Dr. Light, with all due respect, there is no way I can do this...

He didn't want to do it.

But...

Why was it so hard to say no?

He looked at Dr. Light's face.

It was completely frozen, waiting for a response.

He looked over at Lan too.

Lan held his breath, speechless.

_DAMN IT! WHY CANT I SAY NO? I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!_

_But he knew he had to._

_He had to say yes._

_If he didn't, Wily was going to take over the world. Destroy everything and everyone._

_There is no way I can stop an army by myself._

_But.._

_But..._

_I have to try._

_To save the people I care about._

_To save EVERYONE._

"Okay, Dr. Light. Make me Mega Man!"

There was more silence, for everyone in the room needed a moment to register what Rock just said. What he agreed to do.

With a wave of his hand, Thomas light motioned Rock toward the door. Then he paused.

"Wait, is Rush still upstairs with Roll and the others? It would be better if he was here."

"ARF! ARF! ARF!" Rush magically came out of the shadows. He ran past Lan and sat at Thoma's feet.

Everyone turned around in surprise. "Who's there?" Thomas cried out.

"It's just me Dr. Light." Roll stepped into view. "I came down with Rush just in case you needed either of us."

"Have-Have you been there the whole time?"

"Yes Doctor." She walked over and gave Rock a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Good Luck Rock! Please be careful."

"Well then. Let us move!"

Dr. Light, Rock, and Rush walked past the door, closing it shut.

Leaving Lan in wonder.

When he would see his brother, he would no longer be Rock Hikari.

He would be Mega Man, a super soldier.

Going to battle against the forces of evil.

Off to save the day.

Wow...

"Wow Lan." Maylu stepped into view, followed by Roll and Geo.

"I didn't realize you had such an... interesting family."

"Maylu, you can kill me later for this..." Lan said, backing up.

Roll Caskett spoke up. "I think it's pretty cool that you have a robotic brother Lan." She looked at Geo, wanting him to back her up.

But he was busy looking at the monitor.

"I know one thing, that transformation better not take more than an hour and a half. "

1:20:24

* * *

As the last of DenTech's cities residents were pouring out of the city, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Bob Copper gazed the empty streets. Soon this silent place would be the battleground of a new kind of war the world has never seen before.

And he would be right here in the middle of the action. Always in a battle. Where in a foreign country in a special ops mission, or in a city chasing small-time criminals. Bob Copper was always there to fight.

Perhaps for the last time.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

"Not this time partner."

Copper knew who was there, he didn't bother turning around. "What are you still doing here Masa? Are you going to go put on your costume again and play Commander Beef?"

"Well I was on my way the hell out of here, but I couldn't help but notice you standing here, full gear, with an Full Automatic Rifle in your hand. Now Bobby, tell me you really don't plan on being out here when the gunfire starts."

"It's my job Masa."

"Not anymore it ain't."

"I am the police chief of this city."

"This has become a military operation."

Copper turned around.

"Your a civilian now, Masa You're not exactly in a position to stop me."

"I, on the other hand, have the exact orders to do so."

Bob and Masa turned to the approaching figure.

"Just who the hell are you?" Bob said.

He wasn't intimidated by this new kid. This old war dog was going to stand his ground.

He flashed his badge. "Name's Eos. Ace C. Eos. I have orders from General Sigma of Repliforce to escort you both of of the city. So I'll be taking that weapon now, Mr. Copper."

_Oh no he won't._ Copper thought. _It's going to take more than a few papers from General Sigma to..._

Wait,

what was that?

General Sigma?

It took him a moment to register that thought. It took Masa a moment too.

The two men before Ace dropped their jaws, then looked at each other.

"GENERAL Sigma?"

"You mean Sigma's still there? After all these years?"

"When the hell did Sigman become the General?"

"Well, after the Nightmare Incident, he could have stayed behind and seen things over..."

"Yeah Yeah, talk about it on the way past the city limits." Ace said as he herded the men away.

"General Sigma. Wow. We used to be soldiers of the same unit. Now he's a general, and I'm just a fisherman."

"I tell ya Masa. Time flies, my friend."

"Time flies."

Several thousand infantrymen on alert.

about a dozen Tanks coupled with a dozen smaller armored vehicles.

Several military planes only seconds away.

What ever that Wily bastard had, Ace C. Eos was sure he had better.

This was America, the strongest country in the world. No way some remote old hermit could defeat them.

He watched the clock as soldiers established barricades around the city, put up sentries in buildings.

An hour remaining.

It was a race against time.

* * *

In Light Labs laboratory, everyone was watching as the clock was dying down to 0.

After Yuichiro Hikari had spent several minutes pounding on the door yelling his lungs out, he had been content to just sit and wait for the rest of them.

As the clock died down, more gazes and quick looks were aimed at the door.

No response.

Not one sound.

Were they gonna make it?

Would Mega Man be able to save the soldiers from the powerful Robot Masters?

Yuichiro Hikari thought it over and over again. _The process would too long._

_They really aren't gonna make it. They're gonna be late by... give or take 30 minutes?_

_Come on Thomas, come on._

He looked at the clock.

0:0:05

0:0:04

0:0:03

0:0:02

0:0:01

0:0:00


	5. School of Hard Knocks

Mid August

Monday

Back to School for all Students in Echo Ridge and DenTech City

* * *

She walked into his room, he still calmly asleep.

As she put her hand on his cheek, she felt a twinge of guilt.

_He looks so peaceful... my sleeping beautiful little angel._

_I don't want to wake him up, just look how good he's sleeping._

_Ever since Kelvin disappeared, Geo's been so depressed._

_And now he's just sleeping like a lamb._

_Maybe's he finally moving on?_

_I know he wont be going to school with Lan, but maybe he could make some friends?_

_Maybe i could give him a few more minutes? He many need that rest..._

She weighed it in her head.

_No, he needs to get up. Let's get him up Hope._

Hope Stelar gently awoke her son from sleep.

He opened one eye.

"Huuuuuuh?"

"Good morning sleepyhead." She gave her son a kiss on the forehead.

"Its time to get up Geo. Come downstairs, I made pancakes."

* * *

He walked up to the school steps of his new school.

"Echo Ridge Elementary."

Walking through the hallway he looked at his schedule.

"Mrs. Mari."

He looked up, and saw a looked at lot of unfamiliar faces, meeting and greeting each other, but no one talking to him.

Good. He didn't come to talk to them anyway.

He was only here because he had to.

Eventually, he found Mrs Mari's class. She wasn't there, but the door was open. So he just walked in, dropped his bag and sat down.

Everything was going to be new, his didn't want the change, and he still didn't feel completely ready for it.

He didn't really want to be here. But it was for the better, he knew that in his heart of hearts.

"Lan Hikari? What are YOU _doing_ here?"

Geo Stelar was in the door. Completely shocked and confused, mouth open.

Lan turned around in his seat and gave Geo a sly smile.

"Geo! Its great to see you. I didn't expect for you to be here! Welcome to Echo Ridge Elementary. I guess we will be graduating together!"

Geo felt someone hug him from behind.

"Hey there Geo."

Then he felt someone else put their arms around him.

"Fancy meeting you here Geo."

Now Geo REALLY couldn't believe his eyes.

"Maylu, and Roll?"

"Don't forget about me." Rock Hikari stepped into the room as the group sat on the desks.

Geo needed a moment to gather his words.

"What are all of you guys doing here?"

Lan stood up.

"You said you were coming here right? We all decided to come join you. Just like old times."

"But I told you guys in like, late July!"

"I called in a favor or two. We all decided to come and help."

Maylu stepped in. "Geo, were your friends. Friends support each other. This war you fight... you wont fight it alone."

Lan gave Geo a hug."I'll always be there for you man."

Tears start running down Geo's face.

_They did all of this, on a DIME... just for me._

"Thanks, I love you guys."

"Oh come on now, hugs for everyone." Rock joined in the group hug, so did Roll and Maylu.

The bell rang as more people poured into the classroom.

"Well, lets get this over with." Lan sat down.

And after 15 seconds...

"Aaaaaaaah. I don wanna be in schoooooooool!"

* * *

She would never see it coming.

She was going to get her sooooooo _good._

After spending 6 hours looking at the city map, and camera footage from ser she had devised the perfect trap to catch that wretch Roll Caskett.

She'll be walking past here any second now, and Tron Bonne was in the bushes, with about a gazillion water balloons at the ready.

Roll Caskett was going to show up to her new school on the very first day soaking wet! How EMBARRASSING!

"While _I_ show up to the first day looking FABULOUS!" She smirked and giggled.

She could see it now.

That stupid Caskett would walk by, totally oblivious to the trap set for her.

And then a million tons of water would come crashing down on her, soaking her down to her undies.

And to top it off, that scream.

That ever-so-satisfying scream of agony and terror

YES.

JUST. YEEEEEESSSSSSSSS.

She could wait all day, and it would be totally worth it.

She anticipated her prey coming. And with servebots put in place, no way would she miss this.

And she waited.

And waited.

And WAITED.

"OH MY GOD WHAT IS TAKING HER SO LONG?" Tron was irked. She was started to sweat from the humidity.

She checked her watch, it was 11:30.

"Servebots!" She hissed on her communicator, "You said Caskett left the mansion on foot right?"

"Yes Ms. Tron She was seen walking southwest toward Echo Ridge."

"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Tron was absolutely incensed. She had waited for Caskett for 5 hours!

"Were-were-were sorry Ms. Tron!" But Tron's mind was already lost thinking.

"Why on Earth would she go to Echo Ridge?"

Ever since Tron found out Roll had switched to ACDC Elementary in early August, Tron was determined to give Roll the "welcome party" she deserved.

Why on Earth would she leave her mansion, but no go to school?

_Maybe she was just skipping school..._

Another thought creeped into Tron's mind.

_Did she know that I had a trap set for her? But there is no way? How would she know? I only told the servbots. TEISEL doesn't even know..._

Tron thought about here servbots. She had built 40 of them, yet there were 41. Did _Roll _build the 41st one to spy on Tron?

"Ms. Tron! Ms. Tron! Roll Caskett is registered to Echo Ridge Elemetary. Not ACDC Elementary!"

"Ms. Tron! Ms. Tron!... Ms. Tron?"

There was no response from Tron Bonne.

Her mind stopped, lost in shock.

"But... But... I.. I-planned, and-and I waited..."

Dejected, Tron fell back, hitting a pulley that held the water balloons up.

_THWIP! CRICK! CRICK! CKR-SNIP!_

Tron turned around.

"Wait, what was thaaAAAAAAAAHH!"

Tron had no way of blobking or dodging the endless water balloons that were falling right on top of her.

BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!

She stood there, soaking wet, not saying a word, completely in shock.

"M-M-Miss Tron,

can I get you a towel?"

"The only thing I need to get,

is,

that,

lucky,

idiot,

CASKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!"


	6. Coming Storm

"BRRRRRRING! BRRRRRRRRING!"

"Well, that will be all for today class! Have a nice day!"

Lan barely managed to crawl out of the classroom.

"Oh god... I was not ready, I need two more weeks, PLEASE!"

Maylu sighed. It was the same, overly dramatic act she had to deal with for years. Lan would spend the first few weeks being SUCH a BABY.

"Oh grow up Lan, I think Ms. Mari is pretty cool."

"Yeah, Ms. Swiss Rolls' nice, but I don't want to be in school!"

"Ms. Swiss Roll?"

"Yeah, because of the way her hair curls up at the end. They're like Swiss Rolls! Mmmmmmmm, Swiss Rolls..."

Maylu knocked Lan upside the head with her backpack. THWAP!

"Lan Hikari, you are such a rude, disrespectful JERK! I can't believe you sometimes!"

"Yeah not gonna lie Maylu, they do kinda look like Swiss Rolls." Roll smirked. "Good one Lan."

Maylu cut Roll a menacing look. Roll shrank back, getting ready to run.

"Not. Helping. Roll."

"ARE YOU GONNA GET UP HERE?!" Rock's yell startled his friends, who proceeded to race up to him and Geo.

"Soooo, you guys wanna stop at the curry shop? I think they have back to school sales there too right?" Lan licked his lips.

Rock turned to Lan, a bit sheepish.

"Lan, aren't you forgetting something?"

Lan looked around, checking himself. Then he realized something.

"Yeah you're right. We should probably call mom and dad first."

Rock face-palmed. "Damn it Lan! We have to swing around the school and get Roll. You know, Roll! Your little sister?"

Lan made a big Oh with his mouth.

"Sorry about that. Let's go there now."

"See you tomorrow guys!" Roll was waving goodbye to some of her classmates. Then she sprinted for Rock and gave him a big hug.

"Already making friends I see! You're such a great girl!"

"Thanks Rock! How was your day?" She whispered into his ear. "How did Geo react?"

"It's was good." He leaned in. "We'll talk about it later."

"SOOOOOOOO." Lan put his shoulder of Rock, giving him a wink. "Now that we are all here, let's go eat?"

Rock sighed. "Ugh, you win. Let's go get some curry."

"Ahhh, another fine day at #1 Curry."

Lan Hikari sat back ion his chair fully satisfied, and about 3 times bigger.

"Yeah, you know that Lan is full when the chair starts creaking." Maylu cupped her ears. "You can hear it too. Sqeeeeeee!"

"Oh really, we'll your're..."

While Lan and Maylu were arguing again, Roll was calling Glyde on her cell phone. Or at least trying to.

"Huh... that's weird, no reception."

She stood up. "Well then, I guess we better go home then."

BZZZT BZZBT BZZZT ZZZRP! ACRRSSHHSHS! SHSHSCRSSHRS! BZZZT! CHRASHS!

The light's went out.

For about 5 seconds, the place seemed completely void of life. Not one sound echoed around the restaurant.

Roll sat back down, more than slightly terrified. "OKAY! OKAY! WE'LL PAY NOW! HERE'S A 100$ TIP TO GO WITH IT!" She shrank under the table "I wanna go home."

A voice hissed out from the kitchen in the back. "YAHOOT!" GET THE LIGHTS BACK WORKING!"

"Wait Maddy, maybe we can get a $200 tip out of them! A voiced squealed out in delight

"Yeah, along with the cops Zap! Brilliant idea!"

"Wait where did they go? Lemme get a flashlight..."

The flashlight's yellow beam revealed $175 dollars in total on the counter.

"It's no $200 dollar tip." Zap said, picking it up "but it'll do."

The group had managed to sneak outside, without a single word being said. Only until after they were in an alleyway a block from #1 Curry did they dare speak.

"Okay, remind me to never go back in there. Damn it! C'mon Glyde, PLEASE pick up. Ugh, the phone connection is STILL down."

Rock noticed something, and he could feel his body start to tremble all the way down to his circuits.

"Guys, I don't think the family-friendly folks at #1 Curry are responsible for the lights going out. Look at the crowd, look at the buildings."

A crowd had gathered in the streets of the surrounding area.

Geo was puzzled. "What are all of these people doing outside? Shouldn't they all be working or something?"

"Woah, I think the whole city is in a blackout guys." Maylu looked at the buildings. Not a single light appeared to be on in the shops, not in the stores,

Not in the towers, not anymore. The streets were filled with tension and fear.

For there seemed to be no power, anywhere.

* * *

She set her tea glass down, her mind relaxing.

Lost in the surrounding air of calming plants and smooth jazz where Hope Stelar's fears, worries, stress, and pain.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh, rest."

She looked at the clock, 3:45.

_Geo should be out of school by now. I wonder what he will say about his friends being at school with him._

She giggled. _Surprise sweetie._

She sat up her seat. "Oh that reminds me," she said, picking up her car keys, " I should get Geo a cake."

"Ken! I'll be back soon!"

As she reached the door.

CRICK! CRZAAASH! DOOOOMMMMMM!

The lights went out in the store.

"Ken, are you alright?"

It had been a slow day a the plant shop where she worked, everything had gone to plan. Until now, that is.

Hope slowly made her way back to the register desk, getting a flashlight from the drawer.

She heard a crash from the side of the shop.

"Ken! Just stay where you are! I'm coming!"

Picking up a spare flashlight, Hope made her way around the shop, ducking leaves and flowerpots.

She found Ken Suther lying on the ground, hold his knee, and... tearing up?

"Ken! What happened?"

"Owowowo. Hope, I uh, saw the light go out, and as I ran to the fuse box, I kinda ran my knee into the shelf. Just gimme like, 10 minutes."

"Ken, you did remember to pay the electric bill, right?"

Ken thought about it. "Yeah... I think I did."

"To be honest Hope, I think the light bulbs just went out. I'm pretty sure I paid the bill."

"Okay then, I'll run to the store and get more then."

Before she could exit the store again, a loud THUMP knocked her off balance.

"Wait, what?"

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The whole store was trembling.

Flower pots began to fall off the shelves

Hope's tea glass fell off the counter and crashed to the floor.

It's an earthquake! She thought.

A horrible thought passed through her mind. _GEO! I have to call him!_

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number.

There is currently no phone reception in your area.

"WHAT?" She rushed to her car.

_I've got to find him..._

* * *

It had been four and a half hours since the earthquake and subsequent blackout.

Police and rescue crews were trying to dash around the city, but the streets were crowded with terrified civilians.

The last bit of sun had dipped below the horizon, shrouding the city in black and leaving people, quite literally, in the dark.

"And now the sun has gone down." A man said to himself "AND WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! ITS A NEW MOON! JUST HONKY DORY! Well, at least we got street car lights and a flashlight."

He made his way through the crowds, bullhorn in hand. His radio was screaming like crazy, at least, it was when he turned it off. All those cries for help... looking for missing children. it was detracting. It made him sick to his stomach to think about it. Why today? Of all days, why the first day of school? It was almost as if someone had planned this...

No. That was insane. He had to focus. I Gotta get to the top of DenTech Square. That's where he could get the who city's attention. Be right in front of everyone and play crowd/riot control. That's where the big electronic signs were.

This may have been the biggest job of his decade on the force, but Bob Copper would not be deterred.

Foot by foot, he made his way to the square, jostling through body after body. It seemed endless, but finally, he reached an intersection, and the Square came into view.

he noticed as he got closer, the bodies stopped moving so much. Curious, he looked up.

It only took him 1 second to find out what was the answer.

The four building with the largest, identical jumbotrons were all filled with static.

In a city without power, static was a sign of power, that there was electricity.

They must be working on them. Maybe I should just start focusing crowd control.

But something felt off.

_Why start with the Jumbotrons? I mean they are pretty big, but couldn't they have just sent blimps or something if they wanted crowd control?_

Something felt wrong, something felt VERY wrong. he rethought everything in his head.

_Wait, the power went out BEFORE the earthquakes right? About a good minute or two before?_

And DenTech City hadn't gotten an earthquake since he had been on the force.

And no warning of one either.

Could this have been man-made?

"No way, that's...impossible." Copper said to himself

"Oh my God. I am old, I am fat, and I am out of shape." Bob Copper groaned and wheezed his way up to the top of one the DenTech Square Towers.

"To be able to think...ow,.. that I used to be one of the most dangerous people in the world. I guess 10 years really does wear away at your body. That and alcohol, and service injuries..."

He had worked up quite a sweat getting up to the top. Of course, the elevators were out, and OH GOD THOSE STAIRS! SO! MANY! STEPS!

He could feel his muscles stretching, barely clinging for dear, begging for a break.

"I can't stop now, I'm pretty sure I'm at least halfway to the top."

"... On second thought, maybe just a slight rest. I mean, I do deserve one."

"COME ON PENNYWORTH! MOVE YOUR ASS! WE BOTH KNOW YOU'VE GOT PLENTY MORE THAN THAT!"

Alarmed, Bob turned around. There was no one there.

"Drew? Is that you?" He shook his head.

"Just a voice in my head... A voice that's 100% RIGHT!"

With renewed vigor, Bob Copper charged up the stairs.

"I can't stop now, these people need me! Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup!"

After a few dozen flights, he had finally made his way to the top.

He opened the door, and the rush of fresh air was quite refreshing to him.

He stood on the roof and took a moment to survey the vast crowd. The masses that crowded DenTech Square were nervous, on edge. It seemed that even they knew something was not quite right about the situation.

Already people were looking at him.

"Look, there's someone on the building!" "Who the hell is that?" "I think that's police chief Copper!"

Looks like it's showtime, gotta calm them down really good, or it could break into all out havoc.

"Attention Everyone!" Bob Copper yelled into his bullhorn. "I need you all to remain calm. Police and Rescue Crews are working diligently to remedy the situation!"

"Now I know that some of you are worried about your children-"

A collective gasp ran throughout the crowd.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" "WHO IS THAT?" 'WHAT IS THIS?" "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

Copper turned around. The Jumbotron had stopped showing static.

Replacing it, was a chair.

The chair was turned back, no way of telling who, what, or if anyone was sitting in it.

"WHO ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF? STOP PLAYING GAMES!" Bob Copper yelled into the bullhorn.

I guess someone really is behind all of this. Bob Copper's fears were confirmed.

Someone had taken control of the electrical power, and now DenTech City was being held hostage.

He rammed through the door, holding his wife's hand.

"THOMAS!" Yuichiro Hikari was fighting a mental breakdown.

"I can't find the boys anywhere! I looked all over town! What are we gonna do?!"

He found Thomas Light sitting in front of a TV screen.

"THOMAS WHAT THE HELL? WHAT ARE YOU DOING WATCHING TV AT A TIME LIKE THIS?"

Did that old codger go senile? He was watching TV! TV off all things.

Watching TV... in a city... without power.

"Wait, how are you watching TV?..."

Dr. Light was watching a chair. the back of a chair, more specifically.

"THOMAS, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME! THE BOYS ARE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE! FOCUS!"

Thomas stood up.

"Dear Lord, I prayed that this day would never happen."

"But he's back. And no doubt..."

He whistled, and Rush bounded into the room. The Great Dane mirrored the fear, the worry, the ANGST, that Dr. Hikari felt in himself.

"Rush, I need you to go find Rock, and bring him to Light Labs."

"Ruff Ruff!"

Rush crawled through the doggy door out of the house.

Dr. Hikari was lost for words. Mrs. Hikari however, was not.

"Dad, what is going on? What do you know?"

"Not now Haruka." Dr. Light was putting was on his coat.

"I'll explain everything on the ride to the Labs."

Just as Thomas Light was about to open, he felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly.

Yuichiro Hikari was looking him right in the eye, with a ferocious intensity Thomas had not seen in a long time.

"If you are responsible for this in any way... and if my children are harmed, I swear to you..."

Bob Copper felt his heart racing. Behind him were several thousand people, all as terrified as he was.

In front of him was a chair; the one sign of the mysterious identity of the people that held his city hostage.

A silence fell over the air, every single person looking at the Jumbotron, waiting for a response.

The silent tension seemed to go on for forever.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"WELL?" He waved his hand out to the crowd.

"YOU HAVE TAKEN OUR POWER, OUR PEACE OF MIND! YOU HAVE OUR FULL AND UPMOST ATTENTION! SO ANSWER ME!"

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY DO YOU ATTACK US?"

No response.

It went from fear and terror to anger and rage. How DARE these people attack this city, frighten these citizens.

"WELL? WERE WAITING! DID YOU DO ALL OF THIS JUST TO RUN AWAY?"

"HAVE YOU REALIZED JUST WHAT A MISTAKE YOU HAVE MADE?"

"WHAT KIND OF HOST DOESN'T SET THE PARTY FOR HIS GUESTS?"

Still no response.

"THIS WAITING GAME HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! SHOW YOURSELF VILLAIN!"

Just an empty chair faced his words.

"Screw this, how do I unplug these things..."

"I suppose you are right Mr. Copper. Bob Copper jumped back, almost falling off the building again.

The wait..."

He could hear the crowd gasp again, and he felt them shrink back.

"is..."

He turned around in his chair, finally revealing himself.

"OVEEEEEEEEEEEEEER."

He had certainly dressed for the occasion.

Brooks Brothers suit on.

Good shave.

He had some pretty freaky bat-like hair with a corresponding mustache, but that was being taken care of surprisingly well.

Bob Copper definitely did not see this coming. He expected some radical extremist, religious, anarchic group. Maybe some kids who thought it would be funny to mess around with an entire city.

Not some old man a bit pudgy in the stomach.

"EXCUSE ME SIR! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT RETIREMENT HOME DID YOU ESCAPE FROM?"

"Belittle me now Mr. Copper, because very shortly, it truly begins." He spoke with a German accent.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHAT BEGINS?"

Wily ignored him and turned his attention to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. The name's Wily... The one and only, the brilliant scientist, Dr. Wily! It may seem rather sudden to you, but I've decided I'd like to take over the world! Nuhah! Nuhahahaha! NUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS WILY! GIVE US BACK OUR POWER AND GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"

"Robot Masters! You can come out and play now! Make this city an example for the rest of the world. I don't want it destroyed. I want it RAZED."

He got up from his chair.

"That's enough from me, he's a word from my associates. Tata, for now..."

"WILY! GET BACK HERE YOU PIECE OF-"

The screen changed, and all of a sudden, it was a dark empty room.

Then a flame lit.

And a face.

He had a helmet with a mouthpiece.

And the candle sized flame was coming from his... his hand?

Bob Copper couldn't believe his eyes.

"Wh-Wh-What?"

There were more.

The man... thing, waved his hand.

There were more.

One was a gremlin-looking thing with a huge pair of hedge trimmers on his head.

Another was a fat, eagle looking thing?

A third was... woah. That one looked like he could lift the whole gym. He was huge, and he was JACKED.

Quite a contrast to what was on the behemoth's shoulder.

Wait, was that a child? Was that a child in Eskimo gear?

And the last one. He had an electric bolt on his mask and on his vest.

He was the one that spoke.

"DenTech City..."

"We're here."

He blew out the flame.

Shrouding the screen in darkness.

And then the JumboTrons went off again.

Leaving Bob Copper, an entire city, and the world that was watching, completely terrified. Frozen in fear.

They had been left to wonder just what the hell they in for.

Just what the hell

happens next.

"What are we gonna do Lan?" Maylu was tugging on his shirt.

Lan was fixated on the Jumbotron, just like everyone else. _That crazy man Wily, had just told just his freak "Robot Masters" to RAZE the city._

_Was everyone gonna lost their homes?_

_Were people gonna get hurt? Are people gonna die?_

"Lan? Lan! LAN! FOCUS!" Maylu snapped him out of it.

"I don't know! This is just nuts!"

"We have to find your parents!" Come on, don't make me slap you!"

"I agree with Maylu." Rock turned around. "We have to get out of here."

The whole crowd was becoming alive. They were starting to surge out of the square. A panic in the process.

Bob Copper sensed the impending disaster.

"PEOPLE! EVERYONE REMAIN CALM! I NEED YOU ALL TO REMAIN CALM AND FIND IMMEDIATE SHELTER. WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE IMPENDING ATTACK IS COMING-"

The JumboTron came back on.

3:00:00.

"3 hours. Enough time for an evac and military preparation." Copper whispered under his breath

2:59:59.

2:59:58.

The crowd gasped.

_They're gonna trample each other to get out of here!_ Copper thought quick. "OKAY EVERYONE!" WE HAVE 3 HOURS! I NEED EVERYONE TO GO HOME! MEET WITH YOUR FAMILIES! PACK UP YOUR VALUABLES, AND EVACUATE THE CITY! PLEASE, DO NOT PANIC! THIS NEEDS TO BE AN ORDERLY EVACUATION IF EVERYONE IS TO LEAVE SAFELY! THREE HOURS IS PLENTY OF TIME IF WE ALL REMAIN CALM!"

The crowd was settling, calming down as Copper serenaded them with promises and orders.

Rock was busy getting his friends out of there.

They found their way into a deserted playground.

Geo stopped. "I gotta get home." He started for his house

Rock grabbed him. "That incoming crowd could trample you. Please, stay here with us.

Geo tried to wrench free. "Mom is expecting me there rock! Let me go home!"

"I'm not risking your safety, Geo. You're staying with us! We're closer to my house. We'll meet up with your mom later."

"I won't take that risk Rock! LET ME GO!"

Lan got in between them.

"Both of you guys chill right now! Now Geo, think about it! The only reason you're with us is because you've been with us all day! You can't possibly hope to find her! Not in that crowd!"

"But Lan, she's worried about me! just know it!" Geo was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"And if you leave us, so will we."

Geo looked in the other direction.

It hurt so much. But it made sense.

"Fine, I'll stay." He wiped his face. "Where are we going again anyway?"

"We're going to our place-"

"RUFF RUFF RUFF!"

Rush ran across the playing, hitting Rock at full speed.

"OOF! OOOOOOH that hurt... good to see you too boy."

"YIP! YIP!"

Rush immediately got off of Rock and started to run to the direction he came from.

When he realized no one was following him, he came back, ran in circles, and jerked his head.

Lan figured it out "I think Rush wants us to follow him."

"Yip Yip!"

"You heard the dog! Let's go!"


	7. Time is Ticking

"Wow, thanks Rush!" Roll gave her dog a good scratching behind the ears as the group found themselves in Lan's neighborhood.

"I can see the house from here guys, I bet Mom and Dad and Gramps are waiting for us!" As Rush ran towards the house, Lan did his best to keep up. He rounded the side wall, bounced up the steps...

only to find that Rush was not there.

"Wait, what? Rush, where did you go?"

"WOOF WOOF!"Rush was standing across the street, turning to another direction.

"You can come in Rush, you were supposed to bring us home, right?"

"I don't think so Lan." Maylu and the rest caught up. "Look, no lights are on."

"If you're not taking us home Rush, where are you taking us?"

"We'll know when we get there." Rock walked up to Rush. "Lead the way boy!"

Headlights started to shine in the distance, getting closer.

"C'mon!" Rock was already running down the street. "We can't get caught in the crowd!"

"So this is where you were taking us boy."

Rush nodded and sat down as Rock was looking behind him to see where the others were.

They weren't too far behind, but boy, he could tell that THEY WERE EXHAUSTED.

Well, it's been a rough day for everyone.

As they approached, Lan recognized the gray gates.

"Light...huff...Labs." He took a moment to catch his breath.

"Is this where everyone's at boy?"

"Yip Yip!"

"So this is the entrance to Light Labs." Roll Casket had heard of the place that Lan's grandfather established, but she had never seen it.

Geo was slightly irritated. "Why on Earth did they bring us here? We should be leaving the city!"

Maylu elbowed Geo in his side. "Hold your horses. I'm sure we'll know everything once we get inside."

Getting inside wasn't too hard with Lan's security key.

As they entered the building, they were greeted by Lan's mother.

"OH MY GOD LAN! ROCK! You're both okay!" Tears pouring out of here eyes , she almost squeezed and kissed the life out of them.

"Mooooom!... Not in front of my friends!" He wrenched here away, blushing! He tried to regain his composure.

"A-A-Anyways, why did you bring us here?"

"BECAUSE APPARENTLY, YOUR GRANDFATHER HIDES SO MUCH SHIT, A DOZEN SURGERIES CAN'T GET IT ALL!"

Dr. Hikari busted into the main room, grabbed his wife by the hand, and took her into a side lab, and slammed the door.

Lan stood there for a moment, shocked.

He had never, NEEEEEEEEEEEEVEEERR, seen his father act that way, especially in front of him.

Something just had to be, very, very, VERY WRONG, for his father to snap like that.

He just HAD to know what.

He put his ear against the door, wondering what was going on.

"Do you know what the hell he wants to do to Rock..."

* * *

Melbourne, FL

2:05:40.

He sat at home, looking at the clock slowly die down to 0.

Reminiscing.

Not too long ago, he would have been on the front lines, readying himself against this new enemy.

But now,

now he was an old geezer.

Watching on the outside looking in with the rest of the world as the first battle in a new war was about to begin.

Only being able to analyze the situation.

3 hours.

This Wily guy, he must have balls the size the dumpsters.

Crippling a city.

(Supposedly) Showing his face for the world to see.

Giving 3 hours to evacuate a city and have the US military assemble its might.

A gamble that huge, was either incredibly great or incredibly stupid.

Depending on if it worked.

The phone sat at his side. He didn't expect a call, but he knew he shouldn't expect to not get one.

He was last generation, not as good as he used to be.

But desperate times, do call for desperate measures...

Just how powerful was this Wily? With those Robot Masters, what else could Wily possibly have? What other tricks? What did the US military not see on the screen that would see on the battlefield?

If Wily pulled it off, if his band of monsters defeated the US MILITARY on the battlefield, in an American city...

the shock waves throughout the world would be catastrophic.

He could already imagine groups and individuals examining the video, drawing up blueprints for their own freaks...

BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! BRIIIIIIIIIIIING!

He tensed, putting all thought back to the phone that was ringing beside him.

BRIIIIIIING!

Slowly, he picked up it off the phone stand.

He could feel his stomach churn, his breathing becoming uneven. But he answered the call of duty.

"Hello?"

A familiar voice.

"It's been a while Drew."

"It sure has Sigma. It sure has. So I guess you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, especially if you call me."

"Don't sell yourself short old friend. The work you did in Repliforce was truly amazing. Listen..."

"No, you listen." Drew growled. "The last words that I told you were 'I'm leaving and I ain't ever coming back.' Now, after all this time, you just expect me to pop tall and get a gun and start shooting?"

"No, that's not it at all Drew. We just want to talk to you. Get your opinion. Fighting against the unknown was your specialty. OUR specialty."

"I'm retired. This isn't 1994 anymore."

"At least let me fly you out to Montana to talk."

"We can talk on the phone."

"Dammit Drew, okay then. What do you think of Wily and his 'Robot Masters?'"

Drew took a moment to think about every angle of the situation. This was quite an unusual situation, but it could be taken care of...

"I think that..."

A chill went down Drew's spine.

"Drew?"

Drew, actually felt shock.

The last time felt this.

These new suits can turn one man into an entire army. It can protect from bullets, fire, chemical gas, explosions. These suits are almost invincible with the right user.

"I think I need to get to Montana as soon as possible."

Part of him wanted to believe that there was nothing to worry about.

That Wily was too arrogant for his own good.

That whatever Wily threw at them, the US military could throw 10 times back.

The rest of him knew the truth.

That Wily was more powerful than anything in the world.

That a lot of soldiers tonight were going to lose their lives fighting for this country.

"Great, I'll get a plane-"

"I'll take one myself Sigma. See you soon."

He hung up the phone.

He didn't have anything that he really wanted to pack, just getting clothes.

He checked the mirror.

Dear lord, he needed a shave.

"Ah shit, I look like every hobo on the street."

A few minutes later, the rat's nest on his face was gone.

He took a step back to examine himself.

The years had not been good to Drew Hendrickson.

But to be fair, neither has Drew Hendrickson.

His eyes were yellow, his teeth stained.

His skin was starting to wrinkle.

His once-muscular build had given away to a pot belly.

The first gray hairs had started to appear.

"Well, this is going to be embarrassing."

"Wait, how much time is..."

1:52:41

He headed for the for door.

"Screw it. I gotta get out of here..."

"Please Big Brother, don't go..."

Drew froze.

That voice.

Her voice.

He turned around, looking for her.

"Iris?

Is-Is-Is that you?"

He came to see a picture on the kitchen table.

She was smiling, sitting on a bench on a warm summer's eve.

Drew hesitated, and then dropped his suitcase.

That picture reminded him of better days. He was happy, preparing to ask the woman he loved to marry him. Making plans for retirement. Getting the wars past him, the lives lost the pain.

And now he was just an old man.

An old man in a small house.

Alone. Forgotten to the world that hardly ever knew he existed.

He had lost everything. Everything he had ever worked for had come crashing down in one day.

How much more?

How much more did he have to give to the fight? Before he could finally, truly rest?

It wasn't his fight. It was the next generations turn to fight for their country. Let the old people sit back and rest.

But he was special. He wasn't like the rest of the old people. His country needed him, just one last time...

"I'm sorry Iris, but I have to go. The world needs me. And if I die, I die. Goodbye, sister. I promise I'll come home."

He picked up his bags and walked out the door.

It wasn't until he started the engine of his car that he realized just how much he sounded like the man he hated more than anybody else.

The one that destroyed everything he loved.

How much he sounded like his once-brother Zero.


	8. Preparations

He wasn't ready.

25 years to prepare, and he still wasn't ready.

Ever since Albert Wily left Thomas Light for dead on the losing end of a fight in 1990, Dr. Light had been thinking of how to stop Wily if he had ever risen again.

Now Wily was on the verge on unleashing 25 years worth of pure hell, and Thomas couldn't do a thing about it.

Dear God help us all.

"OH MY GOD LAN! ROCK! Your're both okay!"

Thomas looked up to the cameras.

Rock was here.

Maybe...

Maybe there was still time.

He rushed to the elevator.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lan could here his parents fighting.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Lan's father screamed. "DID YOU FORGET WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?"

He was trembling; his parents never really fought, especially like this.

And what exactly was grandpa hiding?

"Children, you're here!" Thomas Light came rushing down the hall.

"Grandpa, what's going o-"

Thomas grabbed Lan and Rock.

"I'll explain everything downstairs. Let's go, double time!"

Roll Caskett was annoyed.

"And what about the rest of us? What are we, chopped liver?"

"Not to worry Ms. Caskett! I'll contact all of your guardians later. Now then, off!"

Roll watched as Lan, Rock, and Thomas disappeared behind the elevator... secret side door?

Okay, now Roll just had to get in there. She wasn't going to sit back and be simply brushed aside.

And something was up with Thomas Light.

Roll went toward the door, but it had moved back to the normal side wall.

That works, only if you didn't know where to look.

3 knocks later, and the elevator was right in front to of her.

PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD ON THE AUDIO LOCK

Well shit.

"Damn it! There's a password! No way to know what it is!"

She pounded on the door. "Someone tell me something! Don't leave me hanging here!"

"Delta-Titan 2204 Triple Giga 3"

PASSWORD ACCEPTED

The door opened.

Roll turned in surprise.

Roll Hikari was holding Rush's head. Rush was moaning in worry.

"I wanna go down too. I don't trust Granddad right now."

* * *

They had reached inside the lab, walking in briskly without a word.

Then they reached door.

MEGA MAN INITIATIVE

_Mega Man? _Lan thought.

More secrets.

More surprises.

Enough is enough.

Lan stopped in his tracks. "Grandpa, just what is going on?"

"Not _now_ Lan! I promise you, I'll explain everything later. We have to-"

Thomas stopped, and turned around

"move?"

Rock was holding Lan's wrist, a scowl on his face.

"Dr. Light, we are not moving a single step more forward until you tell us what is going on NOW!"

A long silence followed.

Thomas could feel his blood boil. _DAMN IT! WHY WONT ANYONE LISTEN TO ME? I HAVE TO GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! EVERYTHING IS AT RISK!_

He calmed down. He knew he was wrong, hiding this from his family and demanding so much.

"Alright then. That man who you is saw is Albert W. Wily. A former colleague and of mine. We were both among the top scientist in the 20th century, pushing the field of robotics by light-years together. However,"

He paused, looking at the the ground. His voice started to have a twinge of sadness. "However, life wasn't as good to him as it was to me. I had more accomplishments, more awards. My family... he couldn't take it. We started to grow apart."

"Everything came to a head in 1990. I had build 6 machines, called Robot Master, designed to perform specific everyday duties. These machines would anchor humankind as the went into the next millennium."

"Or so I thought."

"Shortly after the unveiling of my robots, Wily attacked me one night in my lab. He almost beat me to death with his ninjutsu skills. He took my Robot Master and disappeared into the night. He hasn't been heard of since."

"Now Wily returns in a bid to conquer the world. The armies and governments of the world will be unable to stop him. Only one thing can."

Thomas paused, and looked at the door.

"The Mega Man Initiative was design to turn a Biometallic organism and create a warrior of unimaginable potential. "Mega Man" would be the only thing that would save the world from destruction."

He turned back to Rock.

"Rock, I know what I ask of you is of great danger and risk, but.."

"Will you become Mega Man?"

Rock paused for a moment.

_Did Dr. Light just seriously ask that question?_

That...

that was beyond insane.

That's suicide.

_Aw heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell naw._

Dr. Light wanted him to become a little super soldier to fight an entire army? Without any kind of preparation whatsoever? That's ridiculous.

He was trying to find a way to say no.

_Dr. Light, with all do respect, there is no way I can do this..._

He didn't want to do it.

But...

Why was it so hard to say no?

He look at Dr. Light's face.

It was completely frozen, waiting for a response.

He looked over at Lan too.

Lan held his breadth, speechless.

_DAMN IT! WHY CANT I SAY NO? I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!_

But he knew he had to.

He had to say yes.

If he didn't, Wily was going to take over the world. Destroy everything and everyone.

_There is no way i can stop an army by myself._

_But.._

_But... _

_I have to try._

_To save the people I care about._

_To save EVERYONE._

_"_Okay Dr. Light. Make me Mega Man!"

There was more silence, for everyone in the room needed a moment to register what Rock just said. What he agreed to do.

With a wave of his hand, Thomas light motioned Rock toward the door. Then he paused.

"Wait, is Rush still upstairs with Roll and the others? It would be better if he was here."

"ARF! ARF! ARF!" Rush magically came out of the shadows. He ran past Lan and sat at Thoma's feet.

Everyone turned around in surprise. "Whose there?" Thomas cried out.

"Its just me Dr. Light." Roll stepped into view. "I came down with Rush just in case you needed either of us."

"Have-Have you been there the whole time?"

"Yes Doctor." She walked over and gave Rock a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Good Luck Rock! Please be careful."

"Well then. Let us move!"

Dr. Light, Rock, and Rush walked past the door, closing it shut.

Leaving Lan in wonder.

When he would see his brother, he would no longer be Rock Hikari.

He would be Mega Man, a super soldier.

Going to battle against the forces of evil.

Off to save the day.

_Wow..._

"Wow Lan." Maylu stepped into view, followed by Roll and Geo.

"I didn't realize you had such an... _interesting _ family."

"Maylu, you can kill me later for this..." Lan said, backing up.

Roll Caskett spoke up. "I think it's pretty cool that you have a robotic brother Lan." She looked at Geo, wanting him to back her up.

But he was busy looking at the monitor.

"I know one thing, that transformation better not take more than a hour and a half. "

1:20:24

* * *

As the last of DenTech's cities residents were pouring of of the city, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Bob Copper gazed the empty streets. Soon this silent place would be the battleground of a new kind of war the world has never seen before.

And he would be right here in the middle of the action. Always in a battle. Where in a foreign country in a special ops mission, or in a city chasing small time criminals. Bob Copper was always there to fight.

Perhaps for the last time.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

"Not this time partner."

Copper knew who was there, he didn't bother turning around. "What are you still doing here Masa? Are you going to go put on your costume again and play Commander Beef?"

"Well I was on my way the hell out of here, but I couldn't help but notice you standing here, full gear, with an Full Automatic Rifle in your hand. Now Bobby, tell me you really don't plan on being out here when the gunfire starts."

"Its my job Masa."

"Not anymore it ain't."

"I am the police chief of this city."

"This has become a military operation."

Copper turned around.

"Your a civilian now, Masa Your not exactly in a position to stop me."

"I, on the other hand, have the exact orders to do so."

Bob and Masa turned to the approaching figure.

"Just who the hell are you?" Bob said.

He wasn't intimidated by this new kid. This old war dog was going to stand his ground.

He flashed his badge. "Name's Eos.

Ace C. Eos. I have orders from General Sigma of Repliforce to escort you both of of the city. So I'll be taking that weapon now, Mr. Copper."

_Oh no he won't._ Copper thought. _Its going to take more than a few papers from General Sigma to..._

_Wait,_

_what was that?_

_General Sigma._

_GENERAL Sigma._

_GENERAL SIGMA._

It took him a moment to register that thought. It took Masa a moment too.

The two men before Ace dropped their jaws, then looked at each other.

"GENERAL Sigma?"

"You mean Sigma's still there? After all these years?"

"When the hell did Mark become the General?"

"Well, after the Nightmare Incident, he could have stayed behind and saw things over..."

"Yeah Yeah, talk about it on the way past the city limits." Ace said as he herded the men away.

"General Sigma. Wow. We used to be soldiers of the same unit. Now he's a general, and I'm just a fishman."

"I tell ya Masa. Time flies, my friend."

"Time flies."

* * *

Several thousand infantrymen on alert.

about a dozen Tanks coupled with a dozen smaller armored vehicles.

Several military planes only seconds away.

What ever that Wily bastard had, Ace C. Eos was sure he had better.

This was America, the strongest country in the world. No way some remote old hermit could defeat them.

He watched the clock as soldiers established barricades around the city, put up sentries in buildings.

An hour remaining.

* * *

It was a race against time.

In Light Labs laboratory, everyone was watching as clock was dying down to 0.

After Yuichiro Hikari had spent several minutes pounding on the door yelling his lungs out, he had been content to just sit and wait for the rest of them.

As the clock died down, more gazes and quick looks were aimed at the door.

No response.

Not one sound.

Were they gonna make it?

Would Mega Man be able to save the soldiers from the powerful Robot Masters?

Yuichiro Hikari thought it over and over again. The process would too long.

_They really aren't gonna make it. They're gonna be late by... __give or take 30 minutes?_

_Come on Thomas, come on._

He looked at the clock.

0:0:05

0:0:04

0:0:03

0:0:02

0:0:01

0:0:00

_Oh no._


	9. Metal Mayhem

"Well, it's about time." Ace C. Eos said as the clock hit turned to his men. "Yall ready to rock boys?"

"HOOAH!"

The lights went off again, re-shrouding the city in darkness. Ace put on his night vision goggles. Looking around, he and his men started scoping the there. He could feel his soldiers bracing themselves. They were going to be the first to fight a whole new kind of enemy.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!...

REREREERERERERERERERREREREERERERERERERER!...

_What was that..._

Ace looked around alarmed.

"ENEMY SPOTTED!"

Ace leveled his gun and looked forward, finally meeting his enemy face to face. It was, it was...what the hell was it? All he saw was a hard hat with a plus sign on it. Honestly, it looked kind of cute at first. But then another came. He saw little feet on this one. And another. And another. 1 became 10. 10 became 20. 20 became 50. 50 of those... _things_ standing in a row across the street, sidewalk to sidewalk. They were just the smallest thing. And yet, not even one shot and Ace already felt outmatched.

Hands shaking, he picked up his radio.

"This is Alpha Leader! Who copies?"

No response.

"THIS IS ALPHA LEADER!" He screamed into his radio. I HAVE THE ENEMY IN SIGHT! WHO COPIES?"

His radio was static.

"LOOK OUT!"

Ace turned.

50 little cannons were pointed right at him.

"FIRE AT WILL!" He shouted terrified.

DUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUN!

A few dozen thousand rounds came pouring at the cannon wall. The little monsters put their guns away and hid under their hard hats. For half a minute, all they did was just sit there, absorbing punishment.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

Ace lowered his gun.

There was no way any of those things could still be operational. Not after that barrage...wait.

"Holy shit."

Not one. NOT EVEN ONE. They were all still standing. Ace look even closer. No bullet holes. He couldn't even see a dent.

"What the hell?"

How could all those bullets not even put a _dent_ in a single one?

"Cool, ain't it?"

Ace looked up. A little man was sitting on a street light between the two fronts. Ace recognized him. _The little one sitting on big guy's shoulder._

The Robot Master jerked his thumb at the hard hat formation

"These Met things, their hard hats are made with a titanium-based compound. Almost as good as my own. And being a soldier yourself, you must know what that means, Right? "

They were bulletproof. Their guns were useless. But not their explosive weapons. And maybe if they can hit the underbellies, they would have a chance. Before Ace could come up with a plan, the Robot Master spoke again.

"But if you thought THAT was cool, wait till you see the light show!"

He snapped his fingers at the Mets.

"Let em have it troops!"

The "Mets" popped up again, revealing their cannon mouths.

PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!

They shot out lighting-fast balls of yellow explosive energy at Ace and his brigade.

He ran for cover.

"ENEMY FIRE INCOMING! TAKE COVER!"

Getting behind the barricades and sandbags, Ace managed to outrun the bullets before they hit just hoped all his men did the same.

BOOOOM! BOOOOM!

BOOOOM! BOOOOM!

The blasts just came raining down. Ace found himself flying in the air. _Oh no._

* * *

He landed on the sidewalk, slamming shoulder first. The explosions were deafening. He could feel himself start to pass out.

"Commander Ace!" He could feel soldiers rushing to his aid.

THWAP THWAP THWAP! Ace could hear other soldiers splatter onto the ground. His men. He got himself up. No one hurts his men. "ARTILLERY! COVER US! FALL BACK FALL BACK!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The blasts came raining down on the Mets as the brigade retreated.A tank came rolling in for extra support. As Ace turned his head, he saw smoke and he didn't see that little robot up anywhere.

_That is either very good or very bad.__ Pretty sure bad._

* * *

"It's like the Fourth of July out there! Boom! Boom! Everywhere!" The fat robot was slapping his knee.

"Yeah, it's getting pretty chaotic down there." The more muscular one responded. "Oh look, here comes Ice Man."

Ice Man flew up to building."Hey guys, y'all keeping it cool?" He turned to his electric leader.

"Yeah Ice Man, everything is going according to plan. Cut Man is already on his way to clip the tweeties of their wings. And Fire Man is bringing in reinforcements."

"So when do we get to carry the heavy load Elec Man?" The muscular one was flexing his arms."

"Soo Guts Man. It won't be long now. So just sit back,"

"And get ready to shock the world."

* * *

The infantry Ace's division gathered in DenTech Square. The artillery battles were still going on, on the outside of the city. The explosion goings off in the turned to his Brigadier Generals. "The only things that slows those little shits are the artillery and sentries. They blew right past the footmen. Right now the heavy stuff is the only thing keeping them at bay. Where the hell is air support?"

"We lost contact with air support, commander." One of his men replied. "And another thing, sir."

Those little monsters absolutely tore through my front line. We were caught off guard with their first barrage and completely exposed. We should have-"He gulped. "We should have lost about half our men."

Ace breathed a sigh of relief "Good thing the barriers are up. Now am I right?"

"That's just the thing commander. The barriers, they were already destroyed."

Ace's smile vaporized. He leaned over the table. "What?"

"For an entire 35 seconds, we were completely exposed to enemy fire. They could have, they could have-"

"Killed us all."

A silence fell in the room. A whole brigade just wiped out.

The thought, the possibility, the power that that these new machines could have.

"But why not?" Ace questions.

"How are all those men still alive? They can fire multiple rounds in seconds, so why the pauses?"

Ace thought back to his own encounter.

Had there been a lull in the fire?

There, there was. The Mets had been holding back.

_But why? Why let your enemy escape when you can wipe them out?_

* * *

IIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

AMBUSH! AMBUSH! AMBUSH!

HEEEEEEEEEEELP!

FROM THE SKY! LOOK OOOOOOOUUUUUUUUT!

Ace rushed outside.

"NO!"

The robots, the ones from the JumboTron, were attacking.

One of them, the robot he saw before on the street, threw blades at the sentries.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The explosion left nothing but rubble, smoke, and flames.

"WHOAH!" Ace couldn't believe his eyes. Those blades cut through those machines of war butter.

"FIRE! TAKE THAT THING DOWN!"

Ace turned.

The big heavy was charging down the street, going right for an armored car.

TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK!T OCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK! TOCK!

Bullets from the machine gun were just bouncing off of him. And he was getting close and closer, The big guy PICKED IT UP and emptied the vehicle of soldiers like it was a purse. He heaved it into the air, and it was blown up in the sky.

"What the hell?" Ace looked over to see the fat robot with the mohawk. It was throwing bombs at the defensive barriers, ripping them to shreds.

The Mets were pouring in now. Ace was starting to panic. "WERE BEING OVERRUN! WHERE IS OUR AIR SUPPORT?"

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

"ARGH!" "I'M HIT!" "HELP!" "SHOOT IT SHOOT IT!"

Ace turned. The bolt-mask guy was zapping his men with beams of electricity. Ace tried to shoot him, but the robot seemed to be faster than the bullets! He couldn't hit him once!

The robot fired his beam at him. Like snakes, the beams streaked up to Ace, blasting him right on the chest. He flew backward. Twitching and writhing as the electricity ran through him and put havoc on his body, Ace tried to stand. All around him, his men were falling. Mets were everywhere. The Robot Masters were destroying the heavy artillery. Air support was nowhere to be found. Ace C. Eos and his men had lost. The Robot Masters would probably slaughter them all. And they couldn't do a thing about it.

"Damn it..." Ace said, As he fell into unconsciousness.


	10. Stopped Short

He woke up on the sidewalk.

Around him, he could hear the groaning and moaning and shallow breaths of wounded men.

Wait,

breaths?

As in living.

As in alive?

Ace sat up.

All he saw was a sea of camouflage.

The soldiers had been gathered, and piled in the Middle of DenTech square.

How many?

And for what purpose?

Then he saw them.

The Robot Masters who had wrecked his army.

And two more.

Ace guessed that the two newcomers had something to do with air support not showing up.

They were looking at the JumboTrons.

Waiting for their leader.

Then in a flash, he appeared.

The first thing Ace noticed was the self-satisfied smile.

His grin stretched from ear to ear. Going all around his bald ass head.

A grin so stuck on his face, it could not be surgically removed.

He was clapping slowly, congratulating his minions.

"Well done Robot Masters, well done!"

He gave a hearty peal of sickening laughter.

"Do you see this, world? Do you see what I have done to part one of your best armies?"

He paused.

"I made it look primitive."

"Because this is the dawn of a new era."

"The dawn of a world where machines rule mankind. Where humans are mere slaves! All led by brilliant mind ME! DR. ALBERT WILY!"

"AND to prove just how many rings my army can run around the US's, just look."

"In the pile below, you will see the bodies of 10,000 of the finest soldier the US has to offer. Every single soldier that came tonight is in that crowd."

"And here is the kicker," Wily leaned into the camera.

"They are all still alive."

"That's right. My army is so advanced, so POWERFUL."

"It doesn't even need to kill its enemies. Its opponents are even worth killing."

He raised his arm up. "So theoretically, the world COULD rise up in rebellion." He shot his arm down. "And i could put them right back down."

Arm up. "And they could rise back up again.

Arm down. "And I could put them right back DOWN."

Arm up again. "And they could rise up AGAIN!"

Arm down again. "AND I COULD PUT THEM RIGHT BACK DOWN!"

"BECAUSE I AM THE GREATEST MIND THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN!"

"But, I won't give the world the opportunities to rise up again."

"Consider tonight, your first, LAST, and FINAL WARNING."

"Because next time you decide to challenge me, I will not be so merciful."

"My Robot Masters are the most powerful weapons mankind has ever created.

Cut Man, Guts Man, Ice Man,Bomb Man Fire Man, and Elec Man, each one tenfold more powerful than any master assassin."

"Details on the Earth's surrender will be sent to the UN. Surrending now will prevent much pointless bloodshed."

"Resistance is futile. For no one,"

"NO ONE!"

"Is even CLOSE to the level of ME."

"ALBERT W. WIL-"

One of the JumboTrons exploded, leaving sparks, fire, smoke, and a very shocked Wily.

"Y?"

* * *

For a second, there was nothing but tense silence.

Wily sat back to in his chair, stunned.

Who dared?

Who DARED to interrupt him, to shoot his face?

He turned red with rage.

"WHO DID THAT? SHOW YOURSELF!"

He turned to his Robot Masters.

"FIND THEM!"

The Robot Masters snapped to attention.

"Search!" Elec Man yelled.

He scanned the crowd of soldiers below. He could have SWORN each and every single weapon had been destroyed. Yeah, those soldiers were stripped..

and stirring?

_Wily's loud voice must have put a spark to them. _ He reasoned.

"Hey Fire Man!" He hollered. "Where are those Mets at again?"

"On their way back to the deploy base! I don't think they can hot-tail it back here fast enough!"

So the Mets were gone, a mysterious enemy had shown up, and below, a dozen thousand soldiers were reawakening.

Uh Oh.

"Yeah its time to go." Elec Man was ordering the evac vehicle.

Wily was still screaming from the 3 remaining JumboTrons.

"I HAVE THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS HOSTAGE RIGHT THIS MINUTE! SURRENDER NOW OR FACE THE CONSEQU-".

Another JumbroTron exploded.

"GIAHH! ROBOT MASTERS! WHERE IS HE?"

"We are tracing his movements! I think he's over there!"

"THEN GO OVER THERE AND DESTROY HI-" The third went down.

Elec Man caught the bullet this time. It was yellow-white, oval shaped. Not as bright as the one Mets fired.

"ROBOT MASTERS! GATHER!" Wily said, from the final JumboTron. "WHAT EVER HAPPENS! DO NOT LET THIS ONE BE DESTROYED!"

They shielded their leader. They weren't gonna be beaten 4 TIMES. They stood ready to fight.

Wily cracked a smile. " DO YOU SEE THIS YOU RAT? THIS IS THE POWER, THE TEAM WORK, OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE EVER DEVISED, THE ROBOT MAST-"

The last Jumbotron exploded, knocking the Robot Masters off the building.

They all turned on their rockets.

Fire Man was almost off his rocker. "WHERE THE FIERY HELL DID THAT COME FROM?

Elec Man looked up. "THERE!"

He saw some kind of board in the sky. If had a laser cannon on its back. It quickly jetted away into the distance.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Cut Man flew after it.

_"My flame o' justice will have its revenge on you!_" Fire Man followed him in pursuit.

Before the rest could follow them, Elec Man signaled them over to another building.

Ice Man was confused. "Shouldn't we be following that thing to put it on ice?"

"There are two of them Ice Man."

"THERE'S WHAT?"

Gut Man felt uneasy? "How do you know that?"

"The ballistics were different. The first two were yellow-white pellets. That last one was a red laser."

"S-S-S-So then," Bomb Man started. "If that was one, then where is the other-"

The ground beneath them exploded, launching them all upward.

* * *

He rose through the explosion like a phoenix.

_Gotcha._

Blasting his 4 suspended, helpless targets, in four different directions, he heard them crash and go through buildings as he checked his com-link.

"How are you doing Rush?"

"Ruff Ruff!"

He could see the two Robot Master still tailing Rush, getting closer,

and closer...

Rush turned around

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!"

He let out Sonic Bark, sending shock waves of force point blank at his enemies.

They flew back, crashing into the streets.

"Good boy Rush,"

"Good Boy."

He looked up. He was wasting precious shock time.

If we wanted to live, he needed to move.

Time to go after "Guts Man."

Flying fast, he found Guts Man lying in a building, holding his head.

He let out a flurry of bullets from his left arm cannon, which he affectionately called a 'Buster'.

Guts Man was just taking punishment. Each blast connecting with the robot's huge, slow body.

Guts Man scurried away, getting nicked and pelted every step of the way.

He managed to hide behind some stone. He was screaming on his communicator. "SOS! SOS! HEEEELP! THAT THING IS TEARING ME APART!

Guts Man looked to his left.

A hole big enough for a man to crawl through was just taking up space."A five feet hole? HE CAN MAKE A 5 FEET HOLE?"

BOOM! BOOM! More holes were appearing.

"OK TIME TO LEAVE!" Guts Man ran though the other side of the building.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Rock was about to pursue him,

but in a a flash, electric bolts came at him.

He ducked to the side, the blast throwing debris everywhere.

Rock turned to his new enemy.

"I like your spark." The Master said. "Who are you?"

Rock paused. Running on nothing but pure adrenaline, he forgot how terrified he was.

He wasn't used to his new name, nor did he knew if he really liked it."

But that's what he had become.

He summoned up his courage to speak.

"My name

"And you,

is MEGA MAN!"

YOU'RE FINISHED!"

Elec Man laughed as he summoned an electric blue ball on his fingers.

"_Ha!_ Well then MEGA MAN!_ Get ready for some truly en-**lightning** shock therapy!_"


	11. Against the Odds

Rock fired 3 bullets. Elec Man dodged them, throwing the ball at Rock's feet. Rock jumped away from the explosion, the blast lighting up the room. Rock could feel the electric waves fluctuate around him,tingling through his the smoke cleared, Elec Man was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he..."

Rock felt something coming from behind and ducked. Just missing Elec Man's punch. Rock tried to catch him with a heel kick, but Elec Man jumped back and fired a quick energy bolt. Rock fired his Buster, the collision creating a BOOM mid-air.

"Not bad." Elec Man said.

"...Not too bad yourself." Rock replied, unsure of how to respond to something that was trying to kill him.

"So is this a private party, or can anyone play?"

Rock turned. The other two. They were standing in the hole in the wall, ready to pounce on him. Rock ran for the fire escape. _I gotta get out of here! _Getting outside, he dashed down the steps until...

SHING! SHING! SHING!

CHING! CHING! CHING!

SWOOOOOOP!

The fire escape collapsed from under him. Rock jumped off the ledge, avoiding being crushed by the steel.

CRNK! CHRSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Rock turned around, Buster at the ready. They weren't right behind him, however. _Where did they go?_

He noticed the 3 blades lodged on the ground.

ANALYZING BALLISTICS

Description: rectangular blade made of super-chilled air laced with liquid nitrogen. Temperature: Below 200 degrees Celsius.

Rock noticed the ground around the blades had become icy, as had the places on the fire escape where the blades had cut, and the holes in the building where they had come out of.

"Ok, so where are they now-"

A small projectile popped out of the building. It bounced 3 times and came to rest near Rock's examined it. It was a cartoonish-style bomb, round and black. Surely, this was a joke. A distraction? Rock looked back at the building. Nothing.

"Are they behind me?"

Rock swung around. Nothing there, except two more bombs. And the fuses, they were lit.

"Wait, HOLD ON! THESE THINGS ARE REAL?" Rock realized that he had been trapped in a triangular bomb crossfire."I GOTTA JET OUTTA HERE!" Turning on his rockets, he tried to out-height the imminent explosions...

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

...

Too Late. He crashed into a mailbox, sending mail scattering into the wind. The sensors in his body were screaming at him. WARNING: DAMAGE CRITICAL. WARNING: DAMAGE CRITICAL

His ceratanium armor was the only reason he was still alive. He could feel that most of his armor had been blown off. He could also feel... the wind? He looked down.

"Oh God."

He had been busted open. in his chest. Gears, wires, circuits, they were all exposed. HIS gears, wires, and circuits. And was that blood? That was either blood or oil. Rock couldn't figure it out which. It didn't really matter. "I... I... I gotta get out of here."

He tried to stand up leaning on his buster, just to slump back down again.

"My legs.." He looked down. His legs were twisted, bent, and blasted to unusefulness.

"C'mon, auto-heal function, please work!" He said to himself. But he knew it wouldn't work. He had taken too much closed his eyes.

"This is it. It's over."

* * *

He looked over at Mega Man from a distance. The little blue robot was crippled. A shame really, he had been really amusing for a minute or that's what you get when you mess with the Robot Masters. Elec Man turned to his companion. "Gentlebots, how about the coup de grace?"

"Yes." Ice Man smiled. "Let's go put him on ice."

Rock felt their boots hit the ground. They were coming closer and closer. Until finally, they stopped. Rock estimated 5 feet from his. Elec Man walked over to him and wrenched his head up.

"Did you really think you could beat us?" Elec Man whispered into his ear.

"Had... to... try... right?" Rock asked. Rock couldn't have even beaten Tron and her servbots. What chance did he ever have against these killing machines?

Dropping his head, he turned to the other two. "Where are Cut Man and Fire Man? We're just about finished here."

"We are just cutting in now actually."

Cut Man and Fire Man made their presence known. Cut Man walked curiously over to the blue robot. "What's this?" He kicked it. Rock writhed in pain. It felt like his whole chest had just caved in.

"It's called Mega Man. Did you get that flying thing?"

"A. it was a dog. And B. It burned us." Fire Man responded.

"Did someone say a dog?" Guts Man emerged from the shadows, holding Rush. "I got the jump on it."

He heaved Rush up, and just SLAMMED the dog down on his knee. SCHKRRRRRRRRSHHHHHH!

Rush howled in pain, his entire back bent. "AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0W!"

Guts Man tossed Rush at Rocks feet.

"Arooooo..."

Rock tried to comfort him. "I'm-I'm sorry I go you into this. I- I love you, boy."

"Aroooooo."

"Well boys, let's send these two off with a bang!" Elec Man sparked his finger. "i say they deserve it for giving our night a little spark."

The Robot Masters circled the two like vultures. Bomb man summoned one more bomb. "Let's blow them to smithereens!"

"READY!... AIM!..."

Rock closed his eyes. He failed his family,he failed his friends, he failed everyone.

"FIRE!"

As he lowered his arm, Elec felt a pair of arms sweep over his chest. Lifted up backwards, Elec Man was dropped flat on his head onto the Man's blast went upward, hitting a streetlight. Sparks went everywhere all over Bomb Man. The fuse lit, going down fast. He thought faster, chucking the bomb at Rock and Rush.

_Here it comes... _Rock braced himself.

"woof!" Rush let out one last Sonic Bark, with just enough force to deflect the bomb... right at Guts Man.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Guts Man flew back, landing in a heap on the street. Everyone stopped to look at him in stunned silence.

Smoke started erupting from his body. "Did he contain it? Is he all right?" Bomb Man asked. He knew Guts Man had taken damage before, surely he could get right back up? He looked closer. "Oh God, no..."

Guts Man's entire lower chin was gone. he had had been shredded open, the thick armor that remained of his outer body was going up in smoke. "Oh no." Bomb Man put his mouth over his hands.

And then the roar. The roar of utmost pain and suffering. "EEEEEYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His wail seemed to go on forever, blanketing any other sound in the city. Ice Man, Fire Man, and Cut Man just stood there, Man ran toward his brother. Elec Man turned to face his assailant. "You are SO going to pay for that!" He hissed.

"You've just been Aced, bitch." Ace C Eos followed up with a punch right at his face.

Which was easily dodged... and countered. Elec Man put his knee right to Ace's chest. Ace crashed through a couldn't breathe. Despite his protective vest, he just knew that every single one of his ribs had just been broken.

Elec Man picked him up and threw him right back into the street. "Gahhaaaahahha.." Ace moaned.

Elec Man grabbed him by his throat, holding him in the air. "You WILL suffer for what you did to my brother!" He charged his fist.

"UUUMMMMMMMM, Elec Man, it's time to slide out of here!" Ice Man hollered. He took a few steps back.

"Sure, Ice Man, after I break every bone in his body!"

"ELEC MAN! IF WE STAY HERE ANY LONGER, WE ARE GOING TO GET SHREDDED!" Cut Man started to run away.

"BY WHAT ARMY CUT MAN? WE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL FORCES THAT EVER EXISTED! HOW DARE THIS PIECE OF HUMAN TRASH HURT ONE OF US! I-"

Fire Man pointed behind him. "That army."

Elec Man turned. 12,000 troops were right on top of him. "Oh. That army." Elec Man said as he was swallowed up.


	12. Tactical Defeat

The next few moments were chaos.

Ice Man, Cut Man, and Fire Man all charged right at the advancing horde.

Elec Man was finding it hard to remain in one price as he was be thrown around like a rag doll.

Bomb Man was carrying Guts away. "WHERE THE HELL IS THAT EVAC? WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" He cried.

Nobody noticed, in all the havoc, a little blue robot and his faithful dog companion limp away into the shadows.

* * *

He watched from the window of a building, his dog resting at his side.

A UFO, flying saucer thing appeared. Red on top, yellow on the bottom.

It picked up the 6 Robot Masters from the ground.

After dumping quite a few soldiers that had managed to hang on for the ride, it closed its bottom door and vanished.

Or at least to the human eye. Rock could still make its shape out, floating above the clouds.

"So its got a stealth function. Wily thought of everything." Rock said as the saucer slipped into the night.

"Good riddance." He said.

"Arooooo?"

"Yeah boy, I'll know they'll be back."

"But for now, were safe."

"Let's go back to the Lab."

* * *

Rock Hikari limped back into Light Labs. It had been a long night, fighting killer robots and almost dying and shit. Every fiber in his robot being was aching in pain.

_But since I got blown up, I should really be glad just to be alive. I hope they aren't too disappointed in me..._

There were gasps in the air as Rock stepped into the light.

"OH MY GOD ROCK!"

Lan jumped off his seat, tears in his eyes.

"ROCK! ROCK YOUR ALIVE!"

Lan hugged Rock so hard he almost knocked him to the ground.

"Ack! Lan... that really, really hurt."

"I'm sorry, it just that, I thought you were dead Rock. Please, PLEASE, don't EVER, do that to me again."

"I'm sorry I scared you Lan. But don't worry, I'm still here."

POWER SUPPLY EMPTY

SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN

"I'll always be here for you Lan..."

He closed his eyes as collapsed in Lan's arms. He had finally reached his absolute limit.

For a moment, Lan just stood there,

holding the broken body of his brother.

He had been through so much, given so much responsibility he deserved to rest.

"Rock..."

Lan turned to Dr. Light. "Save Him.

Please."

Dr. Light turned to Auto.

"Auto, get the table ready. We got work to do."

* * *

"So," He began, his voice becoming uneven as anger seethed into his body. "your telling me, that an oversized blueberry and Scooby-Doo kick your asses, and when you finally have him beat, you try to put on a grand spectacle instead of just killing him, which leads to Elec Man getting German suplexed, which leads to Guts Man get BLOWN UP? And it finally ends in you guys RUNNING AWAY from the army that you JUST BEAT IN BETTER SHAPE THEN? ROBOT MASTERS, HOW THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS SO STUPID THAT YOU MESS IT ALL UP?"

"Look Dr. Wily, I'm just as shocked as you are, but Guts Man is in REAL BAD SHAPE. He needs to get back to the island ASAP."

Dr. Wily gritted his teeth. His great victory had been stolen from him, because of these robotic, IDIOTS.

But... they had played around with 'Mega Man.'

It had also been a mistake to let all those soldiers live, instead of shredding them all down and painting the city red. Show they world what they could truly due.

They won't make the same mistake twice.

Wily sat back in his chair, sighed and facepalmed.

"Fine, bring Guts Man over to the island. I'll work on him."

"One of you, stay back in Mexico to manage the Mets and our infrastructure. I have a feeling the next few days will be eventful from our sources of wealth.

See you guys when you get here."

"Robot Masters, out!"

Wily was left to his own thoughts.

To stew in his defeats and failures.

_So close..._

"It seems that my father has been busy, Dr. Wily."

Wily cracked a smile and turned to his ace in the hole.

"Break Man, how good to see you."

The robot was looking mighty intimidating and powerful in his red and grey armor."

I trust you heard about Mega Man, and what he did to Guts Man, how hurt he was, so close to death..."

"And how Thomas Light was, once again,responsible for the pain."

"Yes Dr., I did." Wily could hear the anger in his voice.

Good. Goooooooooooooooooooood.

"So then, how about you head down to DenTech City and take care of that little problem? Huh, huuuuuuuuuuh?

"The Robot Masters deserve their chance at revenge. However- if they fail, I am more than capable of dealing with Mega Man, myself..."

_Damnit, I'd rather nip this in the bud right now._ Wily thought to himself. _Oh, but I suppose I should let things play it. It is 6 against 1 after all. How much of a problem could he possibly be?_ "Alright then Break Man. I'm going to bed. Good night." He stood up in his chair and walked toward his room.

He wasn't really going to sleep, he had too much to think about for that. But he was tired, and rest might be good...

"Good night Dr." Was the last words Wily head as he closed the door.


	13. Repliforce

He sat in a hospital bed, resting. Recovering.

The past several hours had been spent under the knife in surgery, he just one of thousands.

The sunset was giving his room a nice view on the contrasting city and nearby woodlands.

But he had been sent to a special facility more northern than the rest.

_I guess they want my report._ He thought.

But for know, Ace C. Eos was just left alone, with his own thoughts.

He shouldn't be.

He should be dead.

Along with each and every single soldier of his division.

They had been overpowered on the battlefield, to an extreme extent.

It was like fighting Terminators or something.

But Ace's thought went back to Mega Man.

_Where did he come from? __And where did he go..._

The door opened, breaking Ace's thought.

A huge man stepped into the room. With his nice black suit on, Ace was sure he had just met the MIB.

"How are you feeling, Mr Eos?"

"I'm alive, so I got that going for me, which is nice, all things considered. Now, who are you?"

"My name, is Mark Anderson. But my colleagues just call me Sigma."

Ace thought back to the orders he had received from a Sigma. "Yeah those two guys you were talking about. "I got them out. They should be in one of the refugee camps."

"Thank you for that. But what I really came here to do is to recruit you."

"Recruit me? I'm flattered Mr. Sigma, but the thing is. My rib cage is busted. I'm gonna be out for the next 4 months. Then I'm going to have to get back in shape... Yeah, I'm afraid you are wasting your time with me Mr. Sigma. I wont be in action for a while. Sorry."

"Okay... Okay." Sigma thought about it, pacing around the room. He sat down in a seat at Ace's bedside. "Mr. Eos, how old do you think I am.?"

"I'd have to say... eeeehhhhhh... 31?"

Sigma smiled. "I am 33 biologically. But I was born in 1963."

Ace chuckled. "Get outta town! You're messing with me." _OR Maybe its Maybelline._

"You say you're expected out of action for a few months? Mr. Eos, how would you like to be on your feet in a week?"

Ace couldn't help but keep a smile at that fantasy. "Mr Sigma, I know I'm only 30, But I know there is no safe procedure that could heal an injury like this that quick."

Sigma stood up. "Mr Eos, have you ever heard of Biometal?"

"No, can't say that I have." _But it sure sound interesting._

Sigma walked to the window, gazing outside.

"Mr. Eos, after WWII, America feared that new and powerful technology would fall into enemy hands. So Repliforce was created in 1952.

The goal of Repliforce is to monitor the handling and developing of new and powerful technology and materials, and make sure they don't pose threats to the world. In the past, we have had various special troops and hit squads, called Maverick Hunter to capture and eliminate high profile targets and groups, which we listed as Mavericks.

Mr. Eos, I have worked with Repliforce from 1988, all the way to its catastrophe and reduction in 2004, and beyond."

"Sorry to interrupt, but, what happened in 2004?" Ace inquired.

"A soldier in possession of very powerful equipment destroyed Repliforce HQ." Sigma's breathing became uneven with anger.

"After that, Repliforce's power and authority freefalled. We were casted into the shadows of the US government. And not the good ones.

But now with the events of last night, new Maverick Hunters are needed more than ever."

"That's nice and all," Ace said, "but how exactly am I supposed to recover so fast? And what does this 'Biometal' have to do with it?"

Sigma turned to face Ace. "Well that is just the thing Mr. Eos. i have probably already said too much. Now before I speak further, I need an answer

Will you join our cause in saving the world?" Sigma paused.

"Now as I see it, you have two options. You can say no, and this conversation never happened. I will walk out the door and you can stay in this hospital bed for months, remaining a Army soldier till your retirement."

"Or you can say yes. I'll take you with me, and you can see how far down this rabbit hole goes."

Ace thought about it. There is a real chance he could be killed fighting the Robot Masters...

But on the other hand...

Staying in the hospital for the rest of the year...

and the HOSPITAL FOOD...

that was gonna suck.

"Yeah, I'mma go with Option B. I accept your offer Mr. Sigma."

Sigma cracked a smile. _Like an alligator_. Ace noticed.

"Excellent choice, Mr. Eos. i will have you moved to the new Repliforce HQ in Montana in the morning. See you tomorrow, and good night Mr. Eos."

With that, Sigma closed the door, as if he were never there.

Leaving Ace to wonder about his new job and just what the hell he was in for.

* * *

Full moon was out tonight. Illuminating a nice path on the road.

A path he knew he wouldn't take.

Drew got off the dirt and into Montana grass, heading into some woodlands on the side.

There it was. The big black compound

Repliforce.

Drew couldn't help but crack a smile, he had spent a lot of good years here.

First as a boy, just burning to be a hero and follow in his father's footsteps.

Then as a special agent, leading his squad into battle, earning that "Colonel" moniker.

But with the way he left, angry, bitter, broken.

It had tarnished his legacy,

and own self respect.

Maybe...

Maybe this was his chance to fix everything.

He wondered if she was still there.

Still working for Repliforce, for Sigma now.

"Well, only one way to find out..."

After going through several levels of security, Drew got out his car and took his first steps on a Repliforce base in 10 years.

An air of importance surrounded the building. Drew remembered that feel quite well. How much he liked it.

How much he still did.

As he walked inside, several guards approached him.

"Excuse me sir! We have orders to keep you in the waiting room for now! Please come with us!"

Drew followed. He had no reason to start a fight.

He was led into a white waiting room, nothing different from any other normal waiting area.

"Someone will be with you shortly, sir."

The guards left, leaving Drew to got through a few magazines and watch TV.

All anyone wast talking about on the news was the attack on DenTech City, and its mysterious blue hero.

Somehow, Drew knew that Mega Man had nothing to do with Repliforce.

_So there's someone else out there, someone that knows about Wily, probably pretty well._

Drew wondered what Repliforce had to fight the robot Masters. No doubt they had something to defend America with.

Its been 10 years, and when he left, they already had the...

* * *

The door opened.

_Finally!_ Drew thought as he woke up from sub-consciousnesses.

"Drew? Is it really you?"

That voice.

It was her.

It was really her.

10 years after their fight and last words.

Drew looked up in awe.

"Alia?"

_Its really you Drew..._ Alia's mind couldn't help but to go back to the days of old.

Long hikes through the woods. Hang gliding over beaches.

Dancing the night away, especially that night in the Hammerstein Ballroom...

Alia snapped out of it.

She had a job to do. Sigma's orders.

_"The guest in the lobby, I need you to give him the Genesis procedure."_

That means Drew was here for the long haul.

"Drew, can you come with me?"

She knew he was gawking at hoe young she look. That made him self aware of his sorry, old state again.

She didn't want to make him feel more embarrassed than what he already was, so she turned her back and started walking away.

_Please don't talk, _Please don't talk,__Please don't talk,_Please don't talk,__Please don't talk...___

"Alia, there is something I gotta ask."

_NOOOOO! DAMNIT!_

"Alia, where are you taking me?"

She ignored him. Not because she was upset,

she just didn't know what to say.

What do you say to the man that left you 10 years ago, reappears in your waiting room, and your about to give him a procedure that will change his life?

"Sigma is waiting." She responded.

A minute later.

* * *

They came to a laboratory.

Around them, machines geared and whirred.

Below, Drew noticed a pod in an empty vat.

And above...

needles. Lots of needles.

"We're here." Alia said. The room was empty, no Sigma, no anyone. Just them.

"Sigma is over in the next room. Getting another patient settled in."

"Alia, what's going on?" Drew took a step back. He didn't like where this was going.

"Drew-"

The doors on the other side opened.

"Drew!"

Sigma came in, all smiles.

"Sorry I was late, I was busy handling another Hunter..."

"Sigma, what the hell is this?" Drew didn't come here to be picked and prodded on. I came here to-"

"to..."

Holy shit.

Sigma looked like hadn't aged a bit.

He actually looked BETTER than when he last saw him.

When he saw Alia, he just assumed she had used makeup,and used her anti-aging makeup.

But Sigma was 51, a year older than Drew.

Had Drew really let himself go THAT much? I mean, he did develop a drinking habit the past few years...

No.

They just happened to meet up in a lab. Something artifical had been done to Sigma.

And probably... Alia too. Considering she and Drew were the same age.

"I'm not going to lie to you Drew, this is all for you." Sigma started.

"What exactly is it?" Drew was having second thought about coming back to Repliforce.

"Repliforce doesn't need 50-year old men past their prime leading them. But experience is golden. So, we began experimenting, and called it the Genesis project."

"The Genesis project works by manipulating and stimulating the new cells in your body that exist each second. This as a result result the ageing process, giving people back their youth."

"Drew, this is gonna be a long war, and I'm not gonna hold it against you if you go back now. But if you stay and go through with this, your committed to stay in the fight, no turning back."

Drew paused and stood there, lost in thought.

He had spent the last 10 years, wasted away in mental anguish, doing nothing with life.

Waiting to just keel over and die.

Now, the opportunity to restart his life was upon him, the stuff of dreams.

But did it really matter?

His family was dead. No bringing them back.

But Alia...

She just gazed at him with those beautiful blue eyes.

Perhaps if he stayed, they could start over...

"I get to retire again right?"

Sigma smirked. "Of course. After this war is over, your free to do whatever you want again."

Drew paused. Did he really trust Sigma though? I mean, not even a day here and he's already throwing surprises at him.

What was he saying? Of course he could trust Sigma. They had been friends for years.

They were practically brothers.

And it was not like he was going to be here forever, only until after the war.

Psssshhh, it was an easy choice.

"Fine Sigma. You win, lets get this over with."

"Thanks Drew, I knew I could depend on you. I wanted to get to Bobby and Masa, but they weren't fit for the job, those two screwballs. Still love them though. Anyways, the entrance is right down there." Sigma pointed to a door below.

Drew walked down the steps, and he started to...

slow down.

He probably should have asked about the mortality rate of this procedure.

Walking past the door, he felt his stomach turn to knots. What if something went wrong? He could die- or worst.

But... he trusted Sigma.

And trusted Alia.

After stripping down, Drew got into the pod and got settled in.

Gas started to pour in.

"Don't worry Drew, that just going to put you to sleep." Alia's voice was coming in somehow.

"Now just fall asleep and relax..."

The last thing Drew saw before passing out was seeing liquid fluid rise up,

about to fill the pod...

* * *

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuugh" Drew Hendrickson arose from his sleep.

"Everything feels... off balance."

He got off of the white bed he was on, and...

SPLAAAAAAAT!

collapsed to the floor.

"IIIIIIIAAAAAAHHHHHAHHHRRRGGH"

His whole body felt like jelly.

It drained him just move an inch.

Pain began to rocket throughout his body as he tried to get back into bed.

Reaching and pulling himself up...

He just couldn't, sinking back to the floor.

_"Relax Drew..."_

Alia's voice came into his ears.

Drew stopped resisting.

_I guess my new body isn't ready yet. _

Drew stood still and let the tension in his body flow out. The soreness was already going away.

He looked up at the ceiling, noticing heat lamps.

Drew realized how hot it is in here. But he was from Florida, so it wasn't too bad.

"So its like an adult nursery."

His voice. It had become low-pitched.

"Oh my God.." Drew looked up.

And that when he noticed the mirror.

"Holy shit..."

His skin had become smooth.

His eyes had lost that sunken look in them.

Any trace of gray had been overtaken by that lush thick of brown on his head.

"I'm young again! It-It-It worked!"

Drew Hendrickson felt reborn.

Sooner or later, Drew had found the strength to stand.

He immediately decided to start stretching. Work out those young muscles. Apparently, he was gonna have to work out a little. The gut was gone, but them muscles of old hadn't exactly come back.

"Aaaaaaaahh, ACK! OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!" Apparently, he was going to have to take it slow for a bit.

He slouched over to his clothes in a cubby. On his shirt was a thin piece of paper.

BIOLOGICAL AGE: APPROXIMATION OF 23 YEARS, 8 MONTHS

He was 23. He should be in college, or on a job somewhere right now.

His body age had been cut in half.

He had just screwed Father Time over.

Putting on his clothes (which had become smaller and tighter, as Drew had gotten an inch back), Drew stepped out of the door, a new man.

* * *

He was in a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong white hall. An arrow pointing to the left led to a set of double doors.

As he walk down, he noticed door after door.

How many people had undergone the same procedure his did?

What was he going to do next?

Was Alia up for a cup of coffee later-

HSWIIIIIIIIINNNGANG!

Another door opened.

A thin man in jeans and a white tee came limping out.

His chest was taped up, and Drew could tell that he was in pain.

"Need some help bud?"

"Yeah. I'd appreciate it."

Drew picked him up, cradling him like a baby. At 6'10, and 23 years old. Drew could pretty much lift anyone with ease.

That pain from straining his arms were gone. Another plus of youth.

"So, my name is Ace. Who are you?"

"My name is Dr-"

"Drew" just didn't feel right anymore. That was a different person.

A retired old man

He was Colonel before,

and he is Colonel again now.

"Just call me Colonel, Ace."

"Well thanks for the lift, 'Colonel'."

Music to his ears.

_DAMN I'VE MISSED THAT._


	14. The Other Blonde

"Your free to go Colonel." Sigma gave his friend a salute. "You know, we got barracks, you don't have to go out."

"I know Sigma. But I feel like going for a drive on a town."

"Okay there wild one, just dont get into any trouble. Here a guide on the dos and donts of having your new body."

Sigma turned to Ace, who was watching TV. "I'm gonna spend the night showing him around. Shouldn't be to bad-"

Ace stood up. "Today is Friday? Woah. I was in a coma for a whole day! What else this place got?"

Ace followed Sigma to the door.

"Well, see you two soon!" Colonel walked out of the door, with a little swagger to his walk.

Driving out on the open road, Drew felt clear. calm thoughts in his mind.

_This is when I'll turn my life around._ _A do-over. I'll get things right. I'll be happy again..._

* * *

The view from his second story patio on his hotel was beautiful.

He could see the nice Montana night sky, the beautiful city lights, and the crisp cold air of early autumn was refreshing.

Drew couldn't help keep a smile on his face. It was a nice night, and the future seemed beautiful.

_I'm gonna try again with_ _Alia,_ _I still do care about her. I really wished it hadn't ended the way it did._

_And i can __take Repliforce and defeat the Robot Masters and kill Wily. Colonel is back in the game. And no one can stop me now._

"Iris, I wonder what you would have to say to all of this... I wish I could just bring you back too. But I can't."

He paused. Twinges of sadness began to pierce his heart. He missed Iris, he missed her so much...

But that was the past,

and now he had to focus on the present.

Focus on protecting what was left.

He looked at his phone.

"Well, better go to bed, its gonna be a long day, starting to hunt down the Robot Masters.."

He turned, getting ready to hit the hay.

And then he saw him, sitting in a chair.

Long blonde hair, almost touching the floor.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, glass in his hand.

That piercing gaze of contempt.

"Well now, it seems that Drew Hendrickson still doesn't have a clue on what's really going on."

* * *

_Zero._

Colonel couldn't find words to speak.

A literal impossibility was before him.

He was dead.

Zero Williams had been killed in 2004.

Colonel had seen him die.

Thrown into a nuclear waste pool by Sigma.

Colonel helped KILL HIM.

Fighting Zero along with Sigma.

But now,

after all this time,

he was standing right before him,

perfectly fine.

No.

NO

This HAS to be a trick. NO ONE CAN survive what happened. Not even ZERO. Someone must be messing with his mind.

Or maybe a side-affect of the operation. Yeah, that HAD to be it, the job had been BOTCHED. He was SICK.

Zero cracked a smile. "What's the matter Drew? You look like you don't want to see me! Come on.." He stood up, arms outstretched. He took a step towards Drew.

"Give your little brother a hug..."

"YOU STAY THE FUCK BACK AWAY FROM ME ZERO!"

Colonel on reflex, reached for a gun that wasn't there.

"What... the hell, are YOU... doing here? You should be DEAD." He clenched his fists, ready for a fight. Colonel towered over Zero, he knew he could tear Zero apart if he had the chance.

Zero dropped his smile.

Walking back, he picked his glass, drinking it all.

Putting it down, he turned and gave Drew the look you would give to someone who was texting while driving.

"I'm the manifestation of your sub-conscious Drew."

"My subconscious..." Drew thought back to when he left the house. He swore he heard Iris's voice.

But Iris and Zero couldn't be further apart in his states of mind.

"Why you, Zero? Why would my subconscious take up YOUR form?"

"Because I'm here to warn you about the little web you've already fallen into."

Drew blinked,

And Zero had changed.

The suit was gone.

And it was replaced by the old Maverick Hunter uniform.

That all black gear. The camouflage and Kevlar pads, laced wit Zero's signature red color.

That brought back memories to Colonel. _What happened Zero..._

"Because I'm the part of you thinking about the war ahead and NOT about banging Alia."

That brought Colonel back to reality.

"The war? That'll be easy! Repliforce and the rest of the US government will use its real heavy stuff, not what you saw in the city."

"Exactly. And who will command that machinery? Who will go into battle with it?" Zero took a step forward.

"Ifs it not fully automated, then the new recruits. Like that Ace guy. Me and Sigma wont be doing any of the fighting."

Zero came closer, step by step. A scowl on his face. "Your wrong Drew. Not only will you be doing some fighting..." Zero was now right in front of Drew,

getting closer in his face than any man with such a height distance ever should be able to.

Zero whispered in his ear.

"They are going to put you in a Mech Drew.

Just like they did me."

Zero stepped back. "And we saw how that turned out,

didn't we, Drew?"

* * *

Drew was taken aback by Zero's claim.

There is absolutely no way in hell Zero could be right.

_Sigma is going to put ME in a MECH?_

"That's ridiculous." Drew said.

"Is it now?" Zero gave a condescending look.

"We saw Bobby on the rooftop. He sure as hell didn't look like a goofball to me. And yet, no sign of him."

"Maybe he declined, you ever think of that?" Drew retorted. He didn't want to believe it, but Zero could be right. It wasn't impossible...

No.

Sigma wouldn't do that to him.

"Both him AND Masa said no? I'm finding that hard to believe. You know what I think." Zero said, taking a step back, pacing around. "I don't think they ever even got a call. I think they only person that got a call was you. Yes, yeeeeeeeesssss... Sigma wants a big man. A big strong, man that has years of experience, while at the same time have the youthfulness to fight effectively."

Zero stopped pacing, and turned to Drew. "The only reason he doesn't go out there himself-"

He raised his brow. "He probably considers himself too important."

Zero leaned on the patio rail. "So now that you know what's going to happen, you won't surprised. And now you can think on what your next move is."

"Well right now I'm going to-"

Zero cut drew off. "What your going to do, is follow their orders and put on the mech. You are going to SURVIVE, first of all."

"And maybe,

MAYBE,

if you live to see this war's end.

Maybe you can try to get Alia back."

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself, even IF they put me in a mech." Colonel was NEVER going to let anything Zero say intimidate him.

Besides, he had put on a mech before. He could do it again.

Zero chuckled. "I would think after your experience with mechs, I would think you wouldn't want to get back in one. Guess I was wrong."

That comment bit at Colonel like a King Cobra. Rage consumed him. He took a step toward Zero, fists clenched. "I don't blame the mech for what happened Zero..."

"I"

"BLAME"

"YOU."

"Well, I know that you better play your cards right. Remember, you cant trust anyone right now, that includes Alia."

Drew didn't want to believe it. "How can I not trust Alia? We were almost married."

"Well your not, are you? You two split up for ten years on a VERY sour note and now you just think that by showing up and becoming Teen Girl Magazine Coverboy you automatically get her again? It doesn't work that way, and YOU KNOW IT."

Colonel couldn't fight that. But he really wished he could.

"Drew, lying to yourself is only going to get you killed. Stop thinking with your dick and start using your goddamn military mind. The only person you can trust right now is you."

Zero turned for the door.

"Good luck. Try not to end up like me."

Walking past the door, he left one last closing remark.

"Oh, and try not to end up like X either."

The door slowly closed.

Leaving Colonel speechless.

Zero was right.

That creeping feeling of dread was setting in.

That creeping feeling. Of reality.

The honeymoon with his new body,

was already over.


	15. Right Back At It

SYSTEMS ONLINE

BEGIN RESUMING NORMAL ACTIVITY

Rock Hikari arose from unconsciousness.

Looking around, he found that he was lying on an operating table.

"What time is it?"

He started researching.

Today is Saturday, August 23 at 7:37 AM.

"Saturday?" I've been out for four days straight?"

The door to his room opened. It was Auto.

"Dr. Light, he's awake!"

Auto gave Rock a big hug, swinging him around. "Oh Rock. its so good to see you awake and well again!"

"Thanks A-AH-Auto, I appreciate your concern.

"It is refreshing to get some good news." Dr. Light said, stepping into the room.

"Dr. Light, thank you for saving me and Rush. Speaking of which," Rock looked around the room "where is Rush?"

Auto gave Dr. Light a nervous look.

Rock started to panic. "Oh my God. Tell me Rush is okay."

"He is. He is. He's waiting in a room nearby."

"Then what's the problem?" Rock got out off of the table. "What's going on?"

It was silent for a moment.

"Come with me Rock."

Rock followed Dr. Light into the hallway.

The doctor opened up the door, and Rush was there.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF!" Rush leaped up on Rock, giving him a huge hug and lick on the face. "Arf! Arf! Arf!"

"Yeah Rush, its good to be back! I'm so glad your okay."

"Arf Arf?" Rush pointed to the machines in the middle of the room.

They looked like 2 huge cocoons.

Rock turned to the doctor. "Dr. Light,what are those things?"

Dr. Light held his head down. There was no easy way to say what he was about to ask.

"Rock... those things would help you become Mega Man easier."

The whole room filled up with tension.

Dr. Light didn't want to speak any further,

but damn, he knew he had to.

"After going through this machine, you could become Mega Man on your own. Be able to do it anytime, any place. However-"

"However, after the events of Monday, I don't expect you to say yes. I don't even _want_ you to say yes, somewhat. I mean, the US military might be able to handle it. And I can always work on an alternate solution."

"But, the choice is still yours."

Rock didn't know what to say.

He had barley escaped with his circuits intact last time.

And once he goes through with this, there was no turning back.

He would permanently have the responsibility to protect the world and fight the Robot Masters.

Even if that meant to a bitter end.

"Dr. Light, do you really have time to make an alternate solution?"

"I know that if I pushed myself-"

"No you don't." Rock snapped. "Wily could be back next week."

"And if you leave it to the military, a lot of people are gonna die. And they might all die in vain. I-I-I couldn't let that sit on my mind. I would rather die... myself"

"I'm the best thing we've got. I'll just have to get better."

Everything Rock said was true. There wasn't anything else in the that could suffice.

But the chance of Rock dying... that was so HIGH. Thomas cursed himself for not having anything else.

"ARF! ARF!" Rush nodded in agreement.

"Besides, I'll never be alone as long as I got Rush with me. With the two of us, I know we can beat Wily. We'll figure something out. I just know it."

Rock walked toward the machines, with Rush in tow.

He got comfortable in his his seat. "Ready doctor, fire this thing up.

"ARF!"

"O-Okay then Rock." started the machines. Blue light illuminated the room, and a loud hum went through the air.

"Okay boys, you may feel a few tingles and pinches, but I want you to-" That was the last thing Rock heard as the machines swallowed him, covering him form head to toes.

MOBILE ARMOR-IZATION INSTALLATION PROCESS BEGINS

IN 3

2

1

PONG!

He stood in front of the hoop, catching the rebound.

DING! This time it deflected off the rim.

He tried again, one last shot...

WOOOOOOSHHH, PING, PING, Ping, ping...

It didn't even reach the hoop.

He sat down, just done.

He wasn't putting any heart or effort whatsoever into any of his shots.

He was like 7-30something all morning.

But he didn't care.

He had come out here to try to get away from his problems. Try to pick his spirits up.

But all he could think about...

was his brother, crawling and limping into the Labs, on the verge of death.

Collapsing into his arms...

A tear came down Lan's eye.

He hadn't seen his brother in days.

And ever since martial law had been lifted on DenTech City and his friends had gone to find their families, he had heard from them either.

And now he was alone...

"Lan?"

Roll walked on the basketball court. She her brother a hug. He really needed some loving.

"Hey there, big brother. Your up early."

"I know. Good morning Roll. I just... got a lot on my mind, is all."

"Don't we wall?"

A silence followed.

"...Listen uh, how about we play a game of HORSE?"

"Roll, I really don't want to..."

"C'mon," Roll was tugging on his shirt "It'll be fun."

"but i don't wanna..."

"Can I take his spot then?"

They both turned.

Rock Hikari was leaning on the gate, a big grin on his face.

"ROCK!"

Lan reached Rock first, sprinting into him at full speed.

"ROCK! YOUR OKAY YOUR OKAY! YOUR OKAY!"

"Yeah, I'm okay." No he wasn't. Damn, that kid just about speared him into the ground.

But that's because he loved him.

"Rock! Its so good to have you back!"

"Arf Arf!"

Rush bounded onto the court.

"And Rush too!"

Roll gave Rush a good scratching behind the ears.

"Yeah, and check out what we can do now!"

Rock got up. He outstretched his arm.

_Concentrate!_

Rock's arm started to grow, another layer growing around his skin.

It was metallic and blue.

"I can become Mega Man on the fly now!"

Lan's jaw dropped. "Really? That's amazing Rock!"

Roll wasn't to happy about it "But Rock, being Mega Man is so dangerous! Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Next time, the Robot Masters are in for it! Dr. Light and I will work on our strategy and everything!"

"Arf Arf!" Rush retrieved a basketball.

"You guys still want to play HORSE?" Rock offered.

"I call first!" Lan said, picking it up.

* * *

Early Autumn was blooming it the air.

The trees were changing color. The winds were getting colder, and DenTech city was starting to bundle up.

And try to get this "Back to School" thing going again.

"So we've been going to school for a week." Lan Hikari said packing up his things as the bell rang. "And no sign of Wily. Think he's gone for good?"

Rock smiled. "He probably won't attack DenTech city again."

He didn't have the courage to tell Lan that an attack was imminent.

_Sooner or later, he will be back to finish what he started._

But for now, Rock's biggest worries were about keeping grades up and making sure his friends all got A's.

But a lot more emphasis on Lan.

At least he had survived one more day of school.

"So," Maylu said, "you guys coming down to the park later to see our soccer team?"

"Now Maylu," Lan said, grabbing her hand getting a little close in her face.

"I could never miss something as important to you as your soccer match."

Maylu paused,

and blushed a little. She didn't know he cared that much about her..." Wow. Well, thanks Lan..."

Lan grinned. "Watching cute girls like you in shorts is always at the top of my to-do list."

While Maylu was trying to strangle Lan again, Geo and Roll were talking.

"So, Tron is away in Belgium with Teisel at the moment. So we are going to have a new striker on our team. She is supposed to be really good. I cant remember her name though. Lana? Lisa? Laura?"

"So, is the league's best goalie ready to get back on field?" Geo said with a smile.

"Totally." Roll was super excited. "I am going to get so many saves this season."

"C'mon Roll, lets get down to the field."

"MMMMMMMMMMMPHHHHHHHHH!" Lan was stuck head-first in the garbage can.

"Ugh." Rock struggled to pull him out. Maylu had put him in there pretty tight.

* * *

_NO! NO! NONONONONONONONONONONO!_

The forward was almost at the goal, no one around to stop her from taking aim...

all because Maylu had been tackled out of the ball.

Everything seemed to go slower,

the girl took a deep, powerful kick...

Maylu watch it sail through the air, getting closer to the net...

And right into Roll Caskett's diving hands.

_OH SWEET JESUS YES!_

Maylu looked at the time. 20 seconds left. 1-1.

_"Where is she throwing that ball...?"_

Maylu looked up. It was coming to HER.

Along with 2 opposing players.

Maylu managed to get the headbutt in midfield., knocking the ball to the sideline.

She manged to trap it, and started sprinting down the sideline, two opponents in red in hot pursuit.

She was getting closer and closer to the goal...

And closer to being trapped in the corner.

_WHATDOIDO _WHATDOIDO _WHATDOIDO _WHATDOIDO _WHATDOIDO _____

A flash of blue and yellow came into view.

Maylu kicked it out, and as her teammate ran up to it...

She bicycle kicked the ball, sending it at the net like a bullet.

The unsuspecting and completely taken by surprised goalie never had a chance.

The balled rocketed into the goal as the clock hit zero.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!" The ref screamed.

"The Jayhawks win, 2-1!"

Maylu walked over to her teammate, helping her up. "Are you alright Luna?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the assist. But admit I saved your bacon over there."

"Pfffff! Neva! Be glad that I can kick a penalty kick! Where were you all game? Now you come down in the final minute and upstage me? Oh girl, we gon have to talk after all that victory ice cream! " Maylu said with a giggle as she helped her up.

"Both of you be glad that that last kick didn't get by me!" Roll said, as the team rushed them.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!""WE WON!" "THAT KICK WAS EPIC!"

"Okay team! Huddle up!" The coach said. "I think after that win, how about we go down and get us something to eat!"

"ALL RIGHT!"

* * *

"A toast to the Jayhawks and our repeat as season champions!" Team Captain Maylu Sakurai lifted her glass high.

"To the Jayhawks!" The team began milling around the Golden Corral.

Maylu and Roll went to take a few pictures.

Rock was off to go make sure Lan didn't take all the dessert.

And with Bud and Zack going to get her food...

Luna was left all alone to talk to that cute guy she saw on the sidelines.

There he was at a booth on the far empty side. All alone. Eating a pizza and soda.

Perfect. She patted her long blonde ponytails, put on a little perfume from her pocket. and walked over.

"So hi, I'm Luna." She introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"My name is Geo. Geo Stelar."

"Geo, did you see the game today?"

"Yeah, nice kick."

"Thanks." She blushed.

It was time for her to make her move.

She leaned in, giving Geo a flirty look.

"So, what do like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, I like to-"

"Oh Luna, were back!"

_NO PLEASE! _Luna turned, expecting the worst.

Bud Bison slammed her food down on the table.

"Carrots, Cauliflower, and a slice of Rotisserie Chicken, just like you asked."

"Well thanks Bud, maybe you should get something for yourself, I mean it." Luna responded with twinges of aggravation.

"And who is this?" He pushed his glasses up against his face, inspecting Geo closely.

"No, Zack..." Luna moaned, face-palming. She just had to figure out these idiots perfect timing to mess something up.

"Wait no!"

"Alright you, scooch to the edge." Bud picked up Geo, and replanted him on the outside."WOOOMP!"

"Hey what they big idea?" Geo was irritated, but he knew not to pick a fight.

Especially against such a colossal guy.

I mean, DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYUM. What they feeding him at home?

"So, 'Geo Stelar' eh?"

Geo turned.

That little guy, Zack, was going through his wallet.

_How the hell..._

"Stelar. Isn't that the name of the guy who was the captain who dies on that exploding spaceship like, a few years back?"

He didn't even had time to think about anything else.

Geo lurched in and swung full force, ramming his fist right into his jaw.

Zack's head slammed into the side of the booth.

"Zack!" Bud pick Geo up, slamming him back first on the table.

Bud had his hand around Geo's throat, starting to squeeze the life out of him. Geo tried kicking out, but he couldn't reached Bud, who was just about perpendicular to him. Bud was just to strong to muscle him off, slamming Geo back into he table over and over, and over again every time Geo even got a centimeter up.

"You'll pay for that punk!"

Bud's football of a fist was shooting down, aiming right at Geo's face.

"BUD! That is ENOUGH! Let him go this INSTANT!"

As on command, Bud's fist stopped.

An inch from Geo's eyes.

"Fine."

Bud threw Geo off the table, who found himself on the floor gasping for air.

While Bud was checking on Zack, Luna was tending to Geo. "Oh my God, I am so sorry."

"Thanks for stopping him from giving me black eyes." Geo picked up his wallet. he started to walk away.

"I got to get back to my friends anyway. See you around Luna."

Geo walked back to the party.

"Good news Luna! Zack is gonna be okay. I heard him mumbling about how Sonia Sky is the most beautiful girl ever.."

"Why the hell did you pick on him for?" Luna snapped. "I was perfectly fine by myself, then you just barge in and start a fight! We could have all been kicked out of here! What the hell were you two thinking?"

Bud stepped back for a moment, shocked. "I-I-I'm sorry Luna." He face became deflated. Luna swore she saw tears.

Luna sat back in her chair and sighed, face-palming.

"Just get me cake. Make it strawberry."

* * *

"Lan Hikari, you must have the metabolism with the speed of a jackrabbit."

Lan smiled, and downed another huge glob of chocolate ice cream.

"You said after I got something to eat, I could have as much dessert as I wanted."

"Mac &amp; Cheese is not what I had in mind!"

"But you didn't saaaaaaaaay iiiiiiit." Lan said in a sing-song voice.

"Besides Rock, I'm a big boy now. I can even count to ten!" He held up his hands. "1,7,3,9,5,2,15,10!"

Rock Hikari was not amused. "Why don't you count those 10 pounds you'll see on the scale tomorrow, Chub McFat?"

Maylu came over. "Yeah Lan, its not healthy to be eating all of that junk food. How can you expect to be a soccer superstar like _moi?"_

Lan stood up, wiped a smudge off Maylu's chin, and popped it in his mouth. "I assume that that comes from the victory slice of Cherry Pie that you ate."

Maylu stood back and blushed.

"But it was good! And-And, I wanted seconds..."

"So you took MORE?" Lan made a big "O" with his mouth, "Maylu, at this rate, your gonna be the real life Ms. Piggy! They're gonna have to put you as goalie because no one is gonna be able to get the ball past your gut!

Maylu was infuriated. "Lan Hikari, I am going to smack you SO HARD!"

Rock held her back. "Public place. Public Place!"

"Are those two flirting again?" Roll came over, patting her gut. "Man. I'm stuffed."

Maylu gave Roll a look of pure no. "We are _not_ flirting! I have no romantic interest in Lan whatsoever."

Rock isn't sure, but he could have _sworn_ Lan's face fell for just a split second after that remark.

"Oh please Maylu." Roll teased. "We all know you and Lan-"

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

A few more patrons came bursting into the restaurant.

Outside, police were telling people to head indoors.

Rock turned to the rest of them. They were all in shock.

"Stay here!"

He headed for the back exit.

_There back!_

_Its happening again!_

* * *

There it was.

DenTech City.

And taken completely by surprised, just as planned.

Like ants the people swarmed, desperate to stay alive. Desperate to run away.

But Wily had been prepared.

As if they has risen from the Gate of Hell itself, the ity bitty Mets came POURING out of the ground.

Dozens turned to hundreds.

Hundreds turned to THOUSANDS.

They crept,crawled, and clanked their way around the city.

On cars,

on billboards,

on rooftops.

And then the fire.

PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!

Each and every single bot let loose a hellacious barrage of bullets simultaneously.

The air and sky became yellow-orange there were so many.

The whizzes and buzzes of the air made it seem like an infinite swarm of wasps.

It was utter chaos. Cars overturned and exploded. The streets themselves where shredded, becoming chunks.

Good.

Goooooooooood.

* * *

"RUSH WHERE ARE YOU?" Rock was trying to find cover, but everything was getting destroyed.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAA!" "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Rock could here the screams of civilians as they were struck down.

"NOOOOOO!" He paused, wanting to go take them all to safety.

But the Met's firepower was just too great.

And he was one of the swiftly-falling number of people outside still standing.

"I GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!"

Dashing down the street,he turned into an alleyway. Several Mets were tailing him, taking potshots at him. PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW!

He dove down, the bullets flying past him, colliding with a wall. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Rock hid behind a corner.

"Need a place to take cover!"

Then he noticed a set of cellar doors leading underground.

"Ill take it!"

Rock picked the lock and went down.

* * *

RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

He hurried down the hallway into Repliforce's Main Area.

Everyone was scrambling!

"The Robot Masters are attacking!"

"DenTech City is ambushed!"

"The jets can't make it in time!"

_This is a disaster!_ Drew thought. He was already thinking of the casualties...

Sigma came in, cool, calm and collected.

"Engineers and Tech, ready up those Mechs!

_Mechs? So they really do still have them...Wait, why is Alia-_

"Colonel!"

Colonel felt surprised. He remembered what Zero had told him, and Zero was just Colonel's subconscious. And Colonel knew that he had major responsibilities. But he still felt shock and unprepared at the fact that his best friend was going to ship him off against killer robots.

"Drew! We need to get to the Tech stations. There is something I need to show you..."

* * *

"The DenTech City streets have been cleared, sir." Fire Man was reporting in.

"Good. Proceed as planned to the Town Square." Wily said. He was licking his licks in anticipation. So far Mega Man had not show himself. All the more time to prepare.

This time no goddamn robotic smurf was going to stop him from clenching absolute victory.

_Yes Mega Man... come to your doom..._

* * *

"Roof! Roof! Roof!"

"Rush! Thank God your here! Are you ready boy?"

"Alright then...time to become Mega Man!"_  
_

_Now concentrate!_

"MEGA MAN, POWER UP!"

Rock felt his skin tingle, and his body began to glow blue.

"ARMORIZE!"

His bodysuit armor began to wash over him.

And in a flash, he was Mega Man! The super robot!

He turned to his companion. It was Rush, the Great Dane sidekick!

"Ready to go save the day boy?"

"Roof Roof!"

"Well, there are too many of them for a frontal assault, so lets use the new gear Dr. Light gave us..."

* * *

They stood at DenTech Square. Waiting. Standing in a circle, shoulder to shoulder.

The Mets were in position around them,ready to blast anything to hell.

The air became more intense with every second, as the rematch of all time was about to begin.

The occasional_ SHHWING!,_ or _VVVVVPPP! _ and _CRINKKKLKLKLK! _could be heard.

And the waiting continued, on and on and on...

"OKAY WHAT THE HELL?!" Cut Man snapped. "WHERE IS HE?"

"Keep is cool, Cut Man." Ice Man responded harshly. "This could be a trap. Don't let him ice you out."

"_Maybe he didn't survive..._" Elec Man thought. He was injured pretty badly..._  
_

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!? WERE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!?" Guts Man's booming voice echoed across the city. He was going to tear that little shit apart.

Silence. Not a single response from the empty, broken streets.

_Well, only one thing left to do. _Elec Man thought.

"MEGA MAN, YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO SOME OUT HERE AND FIGHT US BEFORE WE START SLAUGHTERING THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY!"

"TEN!"

"NINE!"

"EIGHT!"

"SEVEN!"

"SIX!"

In his lair miles away, Dr. Wily was trembling with excitement and anticipation. Either Mega Man would fight and be eviscerated, or the people that he protected would suffer in the thousands.

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

"ZERO!"

"THAT IS IT! METS! I COMMAND YOU TO-"

"Looking for someone?"

The Robot Masters all turned around.

Wily's expression took to one of pure shock.

"NO."

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

"HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE DO THAT?"

Mega Man and his robotic dog were in the middle of their circle. A big, goofy grin on his face.

"Hi."


	16. Mega Troll

Elec Man stood there in pure shock. How had Mega Man been able to get past them all?

But just as fast as he appeared, Cut Man had his huge scissors around Mega Man's neck.

"GOTCHA!" Cut Man said triumphantly. "See guys, all you got to do is have a sharp wink." He added a wink.

Wow. When Cut Man is the smartest Robot Master, you know you got problems.

Mega Man kept his smile, but raised his hands in surrender. "Okay okay, you got me. But aren't you forgetting something?"

"Um guys?" Fire Man said. "The Mets are getting a little too fired up.

Elec Man turned. Every single Met had their guns. pointed at Mega Man.

At THEM.

The Robot Master stood frozen in fear. If the Mets were to fire... they'd be finished.

_Just as long as they aren't provoked, we should be fine..._ Elec Man thought.

"Well, ta-ta for now."

Mega Man fired a shot in the air with his buster.

"QUEEP!"

"NOOOO!" Cut Man closed the blades together, but Mega Man ducked under."

"IIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Bomb Man screamed as the Mets opened fire.

* * *

Dr. Wily felt as if he was watching a horror film. He knew what was coming, and just how every bit gruesome it was going to be.

Mega Man fired a shot in the air.

And the Mets, every single one of the 15,000 that he sent, would be alerted to the threat and eliminate it .

And the Robot Masters with it.

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

The Spydrone watching for him suddenly has its screen lit UP with yellow-orange.

The explosions were deafening. The blasts coming over and over and over again.

It seemed like forever. A small little hell had just dropped upon his prize creations.

His life's work, dying from weapons also forged from his own mind.

_Why..._ Wily thought.

A tear started to run down his cheek.

_Why must everything I love die so terribly..._

And then it stopped.

The was a field of yellow covering the blast area.

No...

The smoke began to clear...

Wait,

_What was that?_

For a split second, Wily could has SWORN, that he had seen some kind of blue light...

And as the last of the glow faded...

Yes.

YES.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS...

They were all still there.

Elec Man had his hands up, as if he was holding up some kind of shield...

"OH YES!" Wily cried out, clapping his hands together, make a raucous amount of applause all by himself. He had forgotten just how powerful they really were.

And how much of a genius he was.

I mean, he _did _give them this power. He should have _some_ credit.

"EXCELLENT WORK ELEC MAN! YOU SAVED YOUR BROTHERS! NOW! GO FINISH MEGA MAN, AND-"

Elec Man's arm's fell down to his sides.

He collapsed on two knees, and hell headfirst on the ground.

Not moving a muscle.

WARING WARNING WARING EMERGENCY EMERGENCY

An alarm at Wily's side was buzzing like crazy.

ELEC MAN POWER LEVEL - ZERO%

"Oh no... Maintaining a shield of that size against such a large force for so long..."

Wily screamed on his microphone. "ROBOT MASTERS! ELEC MAN IS DEPLETED. DEFEND HIM AT ALL COSTS! RETREAT! RETREAT...

A blast defended his ears... and his message.

"What was that? Wily cried out.

Another rang out. "What is Mega Man doing?"

Another explosion.

And another.

And another.

And then they became more rapid.

2,3,5,10,25 all at the same time.

He pressed his eyes against the screen. Trying to figure out what happened.

He found it.

"NO! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Fire Man, why is our army blowing up?" Bomb Man shouted.

"Well, when they all had their guns pointed at us, i may have overheated and set them all to self-destruct."

"Well turn it off!" Ice Man said. The explosions were making it hard to stand. He kept teetering off balance.

"I can't! I already got them all fired up!"

"Well at least try _SOMETHING!"_

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

And down and down the Mets went, until there was one Met still standing.

It just looked up at the Robot Masters, not moving.

But then it started pacing on its little feet, apparently not counting down like the rest.

Fire Man breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well at least we saved one. And I guess that means the process can be undone-"

BOOM!

All that was left of that Met was a little smoke, fire, and scrap metal.

"Was that Mega Man?" Ice Man looked around. The blue robot was no where to be found.

Fire Man checked his scanners. "No, that was self-destruction. I guess it can only be temporarily overridden."

"But that does leave a good question." Bomb Man said. "Where is Mega Man?"

They scanned the area, but it seems that Mega Man did another disappearing act.

"Guys, I hate to cut in on your search." Cut Man said. "But Elec Man is down, and I don't think he's getting back up. We need to get out of here. Like now."

"We are in a compromisable state then." Bomb Man said, ordering the Evac. "Lets get back to base."

"Let me shoulder this load." Guts Man picked Elec Man up, and as he was turning...

A white pellet hit square between the eyes. He fell over, knocked flat on his back. "What the..."

The Robot Masters looked up in alarm.

Mega Man was standing before them. Buster at the ready.

"Your not going anywhere..."

The Robot Master braced themselves.

"Lets cut this guy to ribbons!" Cut Man said, clutching his scissors.

Fire Man held him back. "We have to keep Elec Man out of this firefight!"

"I'm hauling him out!" Guts Man picked Elec Man up, and started running away in the other direction.

Mega Man wanted to pursue, but the wall of the 4 Robot Masters held steadfast, ready to shred him if he got near enough.

"Chill out guys!" Ice Man said with a renewed confidence. "Its 4 against 1!"

Bomb Man looked up, realizing something was wrong. "Wait, where is his do-"

Rush exploded out of the ground, send the Master flying.

"-OOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHGGGG!"

"Lets go!" Mega Man sprinted forward, firing shots from his buster.

"GYAH!" Cut Man tried dodging but-

CHOMP!

Rush bit him on the leg...

WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH!

Swung him right into the side of a building.

SCRUUUUUUUUNNCH!

"Oh, snip. That hurts."

Mega Man was fighting Ice Man, who was SHWING

swinging two SHWING

ice blades around.

SHWING SHWING SHWING

But Mega Man was more concerned about the fact that Ice Man was spitting blades all the while.

SHWING SHWING SHWING

Those blades were getting closer and closer with every shot...

_Gotta time this just right.._

WHEEP!

Mega fired a bullet and it popped Ice Man right in the mouth.

The stunned Robot Master dropped his blades and held his mouth.

"OW! OW! OW! Oh Momma that's hot!"

Mega Man saw his chance and charged forward. "GIYAH!" Mega sent Ice Man flying with a kick to the face.

CRSSHHHHHNKKKKK! Ice Man went through a window.

_K. 2 down, at least for now..._

Mega looked up, Fire Man and Rush were fighting in the sky.

Rush was trying to get in close for a bite, but Fire Man was keep Rush back by shooting WALLS of fire at him.

_So, where is Bomb-_

BOOM!

A car VERY close by exploded. Mega Man jumped back, looking up.

The flaming wreckage of a pickup truck was about to bear down on his head.

_DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!_

Mega Man veeeeeeered out of the way, as the huge chunk of burning metal collided with the ground.

SCRRRRRRNNNNNCHEEEEEENK!

DOOOOSSSSSH!

DUN! DUN!

BEEP! BEEP!

As Mega Man got his wits together, he began looking around.

_So he's here SOMEWHERE, but just where the heck is he?_

Bomb Man was behind the unsuspecting Robot, street light pole in hand...

"Batter swing!"

THOOOOOOOOCK!

Mega Man found himself hurtling through the air, a shooting pain in his right side.

_GIYAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_

He bounced on several building rooftops like a stone.

Finally landing on a roof of a McDonald's.

Mega... finna..ly, got back on his.. on his feet.

_Okay, NOT TWICE! WHERE ARE YA?_

He scanned the area. _ I dont see him anywhere..._

* * *

_Dis gone be guuuuuuuuuuud..._

He had planned this perfectly.

First, he launched mini-bombs gas into the restaurant.

And he waited while they went off,

silently,

slowly,

perfectly...

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss...

Cleared of human distractions, Bomb Man strolled into the restaurant.

_Oh yeah! I'm da bomb! _I'm da bomb! _I'm da bomb!___

Mega Man was still up there. The little fool.

Bomb Man chuckled. "Turnabout is fair play, after all."

He turned on his jets,

CHRRRRRRRRRRRR!

And ROSE, CRASHING THROUGH THE CEILING!

THROOOOOOOM!

...

Mega Man had his buster pointed right at his face.

And quite a good few feet away in the air.

"Did ya really think you could pull one over on old Mega?"


	17. Mortal Bombat

WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!

Mega Man fired 3 shots, swatting Bomb Man back on the roof.

Mega revved up his jet engines.

"TAKE THIS!

He EXPLODED into Bomb Man, crashing through the ceiling and,

DOOOOOOOOM!

Stamped him RIGHT into the floor tile.

Mega Man bounced right off him, getting into a fighting pose, buster ready.

_No way he's gonna be able to dodge-_

Bomb Man turned on his side in a flash, throwing a bomb right at Mega Man.

Mega darted out of the way of the explosion..

BOOM!

And was about to fire a shot, when

SPACK!

He landed chin first on the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Mega looked.

Ken Sunther was lying asleep of the floor, Sprite all over his face.

KKHAAAAAAAAAAAA,CHOOOOOOOO,KKHAAAAAAAAAA,CHOOOOOOOOOOOO...

_OH GOD I FORGOT THE_ CIVILIANS!

Steeping back cautiously,slowly, Mega tried to make sure no one else was hurt.

WHOP!

And took a NASTY short to the face for his efforts.

CHRRRRSHIIIIIIIIIING!

Amid the broken glass, Mega Man stood up and faced his enemy.

Bomb Man smiled smugly in the broken widow, lightly tossing a bomb up and down in his palm.

"It's been so blast so far, Mega Man! But I'm afraid this is where you go BOOM!"

"Try it!" Mega Man aimed...

and Bomb Man stepped back into the window.

And all Mega Man could see,

were the helpless people behind him.

Those he swore to protect...

"Tsk Tsk Tsk... Can't do it cant ya? Well then allow me..." Bomb Man summoned a second bomb in his other had.

The bombs started making noises.

BEEP! BEEP!

They started floating in the air...

BEEP!BEEP!

Turned...

BEEP!BEEP!

Right at Mega Man...

BEEP!BEEP!

They started to creep toward Mega Man, ever,

so,

slowly...

_Oh no..._ Mega Man didn't know,

but he could sure as hell guess...

He powered his jets up, ready to run.

He took one little step back...

and the bombs started to race toward him.

_GO!_

Speeding down the street,

_GO _GO _GO _GO_GO__GO_GO _GO!_______

he noticed that only one bomb was behind him.

_Wait where's the other?_

He checked his scanner.

_Threat Detected Coming From the Right. Impact_ in_ 3.._

Mega Man flew up, as he saw the other bomb coming from the perpendicular street.

Right into the intersection...

_So those things can create TRAPS?_

The bomb stopped, just as it was about to collide with the other.

The bombs seemed to turn toward him again.

And then they ZOOOOOOMED back up at him in pursuit.

Mega Man flew over the city, trying his best to lose the two spheres of death.

But they chased him,

and chased him,

and chased him.

_Okay, lets try blowing them up!_

Mega Man turned and fired,

WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!

but,

_YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME WHAT THE HELL?_

They both managed to dodge each and every single shot!

WHEEP!WHEEP!WHEEP!

WOOOSH! WHOOSH! WOOOSH!

They were relentless!

_HOW DO I GET THEM OFF ME?_

_ARF! ARF! ARF!_

Mega's mind instantly turned to Rush.

The dog was in great distress. Cut Man, Fire Man, and Ice Man had been more than he can handle.

And now Rush was wounded, and about to be destroyed!

"I'M COMING RUSH! HANG ON!"

Some how going even faster than before, Mega RACED across DenTech City, in a race against time.

And two unwanted followers were ever behind him...

* * *

After it seemed like forever, Mega had found the Robot Masters.

And Rush, who was pinned in an alleyway!

_How do I save him? _ He checked behind him.

Yep, they were _stiil_ there!

_Gotta lose them NOW! And save Rush too? I can't do both!_

_Or maybe..._

_maybe I can!_

Mega made a beeline for the Robot Masters.

* * *

Fire Man stared at Rush in the alley.

The poor mutt. The Robot Masters had given him a good working over.

Fire Man had cooked Rush over, burning his circuits and make sure he wouldn't bark.

Then Ice Man has slashed off his lasers, and his tail,

and his front paws. Just to be safe.

And now Cut Man had used his scissors to pin him to a wall. And, what Fire Man imagined, giving him quite the tummy ache in the process.

_So lets go over the plan again_. Fire Man said on his internal com-link. _Mega Man should be here any time now... _

_And when he does._.

Cut Man interjected. _We blast him! And even if we miss... _

Ice man finished it. _He HESITATES! And the __Bomb Man's drone bombs put him on ice for good! Oh, I love our plans. They make for such cool spectacles to_ behold.

Fire Man's torched lit up with anticipation.

_And there he is! Mega Man, right on time! In a desperate race to save his __companion!_

Cut Man flicked his scissor blades.

_3..._

Closer, closer Mega Man came to his destruction.

_2..._

CLOSER! Cut Man could see Mega in his reflection. _That's right Mega! Just come a little closer!_

_1..._

_ITS ALL OVER NOW MEGA MAN!_

"FIRE!"

Cut Man turned.

aiming his blade RIGHT AT...

right at...

nothing?

Mega Man was gone again!

And all that was left were the bombs.

The bombs that were getting closer,

but not STOPPING!

Cut Man covered his eyes. He couldn't bear to watch...

But the BOOM never came.

Cut Man opened his eyes.

The bombs were 1 foot in front of him.

"WHEW!" Cut Man breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close wasn't it fellas?"

"You could say that again!" Ice Man chuckled. "I thought we were goners! What about you Fire Man?"

"Fire Man?"

He was distracted, looking up.

"What are you looking at?"

He gazed up as well.

Mega Man was up there,

Rush in one arm,

his buster arm pointed at them.

He fired a shot.

WHEEP!

Aimed

right

at

the

bombs.

"Oh that son of a bitch..." Cut Man said.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Rush, are you okay?" Mega Man held his precious pooch gingerly.

"Arf! Arf!" Rush nuzzled against his dear and faithful friend.

"Good. Here is what I want you to do: Go back to the Lab and repair yourself."

Rush hesitated.

While it would be good to get repaired, something didn't quite feel right...

"Arf Arf? WOOF WOOF!" Rush howled in protest.

"Rush, your hurt...badly. Please, leave. I can take care of the Robot Master by myself from here."

"Woof! Woof!" Rush was NOT going to leave his companion all alone against these monsters."

Rock exploded. "JUST GO RUSH! I DON'T WANT YOU GETTING HURT ANY MORE!"

He saw the hurt in Rush's eyes. He wasn't mad at him, but he knew Rush would be an easy target.

"Rush please, I can't focus with you being here like this. Just, Just go."

"Aroooooooo..." Rush went out of Rock's arms... and slowly drifted away.

* * *

After watching Rush fade off into the distance, Mega Man turned back to his objective.

SCANNING AREA... SCANNING AREA...

3 ROBOT MASTERS 7 MILES AWAY.

_So they are retreating..._

DANGER - 1 ROBOT MASTER 1 MILE AWAY AND CLOSING.

_That's Bomb Man. I've got the best chance I'm ever gonna have against him_

_Let's do this_.

Mega Man descended to the ground, and steadied himself as a Bomb Man approached.

VVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

A Bomb came rushing toward him.

His first instinct was to run, but...

WHEEP!

He fired a buster shot.

BOOM!

He was tired of running.

_Lets just settle it, here and now. No civilian shields, just a park for an battlefield._

_Let's_ _Rock_.

* * *

"Gee, you really are a smart one, aren't ya?" Bomb Man said, only 10 feet from Mega.

He clapped his hands. "I really am impressed of how you keep escaping. Tell me, how do you keep doing that?"

"That is none of your concern." Rock responded. The Robot Masters didn't need to know about his Stealth Mode functions. It was probably the only thing keeping him alive at this point.

"Well then, it doesn't really matter anyway. This is the part where you go BOOM! You cant hide forever."

_Wanna bet fat-ass?_

_"_Enough talk." Bomb Man said, summoning up a pair of bombs. BEEP! BEEP!

"NOW EXPLODE!"

The bombs zoomed toward Mega Man, faster than anything he had seen before.

Jumping out of the way, Mega Man heard two blasts down below.

_So he can make the bombs vary quite a bit._

He noticed another one was chasing him down.

Veering to the side, Mega Man swooped down, down down, coming to just a few INCHES over the ground when,

CKRAAAAAAACK!

Bomb Man kicked Mega in the helmet, sending him flying like line drive.

And the bomb was gunning on Mega man like a shark. 20 feet...

15 feet...

10 feet...

5 FEET...

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

* * *

_No..._ Rock said as fell toward the ground.

_Not again.._.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Rock laid in the crater, helpless...

He couldn't stop the Robot Masters before on his own,

now he couldn't even win a one on one fight?

_Maybe I deserve to die..._

"ROW! ROW! ROW!" It was Rush, more intense than Rock had ever heard him.

_"_Rush, you not at the Lab yet?"

"ROW! ROW! ROW!"

"Yeah, its not looking too good..."

"ROW ROW ROW!" Rush was scared at the fear and doubt in Rock's mind.

"NO! Don't come, I-I-I can take care of this myself!" Rock got on one knee.

"ROW! ROW! ROW! ROW! ROW! ROW!"

"But how do I beat this thing?" As Mega stood up, Bomb Man was casually walking forward, bomb in hand.

"ROW! ROW! ROW! ROW! ROW!"

"Stealth Gear! That's right!" Rock smiled. "Thanks Rush, I can take it from here."

STEALTH GEAR ON!

And suddenly, Mega Man wasn't there anymore.

Just an empty crater.

Bomb Man was watching, analyzing this move. _Its a highly advanced form of transparency, but that's not all._

_How is he able to match the body temperature of surrounding objects so well..._

Surprised, Bomb Man turned around...

Right into a spinning kick from Mega Man

KTHOCK!

He staggered to the left on one leg, almost falling off balance.

Holding his chin, he threw the the bomb at Mega.

BOOOOOOM!

As Mega jumped over it, landing right in front of Bomb Man...

TOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!

A knee right to his big,

fat,

metallic gut.

WHPACK!

And a fist right to his chest.

And another one.

and another one!

Bomb Man was too slow! He tried as hard as he could to swat this blue fly, throwing punch after punch after punch.

But, Mega Man was too quick and agile to hit and dodge! All Bomb was saw before him,

WOOOSH!

was a contin-

WOOOSH!

uous shade

WOOOSH!

of blue darting around every single punch!

WOOOSH!

Bomb Man swung,

Mega grabbed and leaped upon his tree limb arm.

Bomb Man swung with his other arm, confident he had Mega THIS time...

WOOOSH!

Mega Man scorpion'd over Bomb Man's first, landing feet first on the Robot Master's upper arm.

POCK! POCK! POCK!POCK! POCK! POCK!POCK! POCK! POCK!

Shot after shot AFTER SHOT to the Robot Master's jaw. Mega Man was unloading!

SPACK!

And a kick for good measure!

Bomb Man was reeling!

Mega Man jumped up, step back a few feet,

and CHARGED AT THE ROBOT MASTER! JETS ON! FULL SPEED AHEAD!

"SHORYUKEN!"

Mega Man ACCELERATED UPWARD, DRAGGING HIS FIST, AIMING RIGHT AT THE CHIN!

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKK!

HE HIT IT! And he saw Bomb Man reeling! The Robot Master was hunched over, victory was within Mega's reach!

_IF I CAN GET HIM OFF OF HIS FEET! BUT HOW?_

_WAIT! AT MCDONALDS! I'LL SPEAR HIM INTO THE GROUND!_

Mega Man jetted into the air, higher,

higher,

HIGHER,

HIGHER STILL!

Mega Man was as high as the skyscrapers, among the beautiful white clouds and birds... but he was still locked on to his target.

So down below... so still prone TO A FINISHING ATTACK!

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" MEGA MAN DIVE-BOMBED DOWN!

500 FEET!

450...

400...

350...

300...

250...

200...

150...

100! "ALMOST THERE! THIS ENDS NOW!"

50!

25!

20!

15!

10!

5!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

* * *

"TOO"

"FUCKING"

"EASY!"

Bomb Man cackled, howling like a wolf in the full moon.

He looked over to his opponent. Buried in a crater.

Face down in dirt, smoking.

Bomb Man could see the scratches,

the dents,

the cracks,

the gaping holes of the blue bodysuit armor.

Mega Man was a mess, all the winds sucked out of his sails in one explosive moment.

Perfect.

"Well I guess its time to finish off ole blueberry then."

Bomb Man walked over to the Mega Man, lying still unconscious...

Bomb Man picked him up by the arm.

And and like a cobra, Mega struck.

WHEEP!

A Buster blast, right to his face!

"IIIIYYYYAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Bomb Man dropped Mega, doubling over again.

"Got you now!" Mega Man b-lined to Bomb Man "SIYAAAAAAAA-"

He led with his foot, right into the robot's gut "YAAAH!"

"DONK!"

Mega Man's kick...

HAD NO AFFECT!

He stood there, frozen.

"All of your hits were nothing more than patty-cake taps to me! It was all just an act to make you drop your guard."

Mega Man's face was pure shock. He-he, he never stood a chance?

_NO! He HAS to be lying! He just has to..._

Bomb Man picked Mega up by the leg.

GROUCH!

And just SLAMMED him back into the ground!

"THAT WAS FOR HURTING MY BROTHERS!" Bomb Man shouted.

He got out another Bomb. Holding Mega in the air again, he placed the bomb against his chest..

and watched as the blue robot went sailing into a fountain.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"And now you die!" Bomb Man started making another bomb...

_Gotta get up!_ Among the rubble and pain Mega Man tried to sit up...

and failed. He couldn't even move. Something was wrong with his body, he couldn't even FEEL IT ANYMORE!

WARNING! MAJOR SPINAL DAMAGE! TEMPORARY REPAIRS BEGINNING!

Mega Man couldn't even look up, he had to go to his scanners.

Bomb Man was making a bomb, a bomb bigger than the rest.

Mega Man calculated in his head... maybe he would have enough time to get out of the way. There was always a way...

1 minute.

He was going to need a whole minute to function again.

"END OF THE LINE MEGA MAN!" Bomb Man's Bomb was about half of his own size. The fuse was lit for roughly 10 seconds before detonation...

A minute he wouldn't get...

Bomb Man swung back, getting ready to heave it and end Mega Man once and for all.

The last thing Mega Man heard before he went out was the blast...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

* * *

_Darkness__..._

_Infinite__ darkness..._

_Empty, cold,_

_dripping darkness..._

_dripping wet darkness?_

Mega Man opened his eyes.

TEMPORARY REPAIRS COMPLETE

_Wait, I'm still alive? Bomb Man!_

Mega Man stood up to face the Robot Master with what little he had left...

"Oh

My

God."

Bomb Man stood there, motionless, frozen.

Dead.

Dismembered.

His entire right arm was gone. All that was left was the burned, smoking socket.

And his head...

His head was,

_Oh my God_..

Was half gone. All Mega saw was gears and wires on the entire right side.

_What did that do him_?

He looked around, and saw his answer.

To the far side off, behind a mailbox,

Bob Copper was flat on his ass stunned, gun right beside him.

_Copper? No way... Wait, what's in that gun?_

It was a Glock 17,

with explosive rounds.

_Holy shit._

_I was saved by Bob Copper!__ I don't know whether to laugh or to be embarrassed. I got saved by Bob Copper, the guy who got assaulted by a pitching machine, then tied upside down on a tree!_

"ROCK! CAN YOU HERE ME?!" It was Dr. Light.

"Yes. Dr. Light, I have everything under control." Rock said, walking towards Bomb Man.

"Don't completely destroy Bomb Man! Look inside his body for the Integrated Circuit (I.C)! As long as we have that, the Robot Masters aren't gone forever!"

"Really?" Mega Man looked inside his socket. Scanning...

scanning...

scanning...

I.C COMPONENT FOUND

Reaching deep into the Robot Master's hardware, Rock was able to pull out a thin little chip the size of a postage stamp. He turned around to inspect it.

"Dr. Light, I got it, but I don't know how this will help any..."

"That's not all, the next thing is about you! You see, you know how Bomb Man was able to-."

Danger signs appeared on Dr. Lights screen.

DANGER-MEGA MAN ENSNARED

MEGA MAN ENSNARED

"ROCK! COME IN!"

"ROCK!"

* * *

"Its not that easy to get rid of ME, Mega Man!" Bomb Man held Mega Man from the neck from behind!

"ICKL! GAHKC! EGCHLA!" Mega Man could feel his neck armor crunching. He could feel Bomb Man tightening his grip with every passing second.

Life slowly,

slowly,

slowly,

slipping away...

"I will go back to Wily Headquarters with your dead carcass in tow, and then Dr. Wily will repair me with your scraps! And then I will be BACK, and I will take everything you care about, and blow it to SMITHEREENS!

_NO!_

_NO._

_No._

_no..._

_Lan,,Roll,Dr. Light, Geo, Maylu, the others..._

_no..._

_NO!_

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Mega Man turned on his jets, burning away at what was left of the Robot Master.

"IIIIIAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!" Bomb Man stumbles back, trying to put out the flames with his one good arm.

The dropped Mega Man turned around,

aimed his buster,

"YOUR THROUGH!"

and fired a shot,

right at the exposed inner workings of Bomb Man's head.

WHEEEP!

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Mega Man flew back, landing elbow first.

The blinding explosion light,

the deafening buzzing around him,

he was FADING innnnnn and OUT of realityyyy and UNCONsciousness...

And then, silence.

Peace was still.

"ROCK! ROCK! ARE YOU THERE?" was screaming on the headset.

"Yeah Dr. Light, I'm still here." Rock said, getting on his feet.

He looked over at his fallen foe. That bust blast blew off what remained of his head.

"Its over. Bomb Man has been destroyed."

Rock stared at the corpse which he had just made.

_I'm-I'm-I'm sorry Bomb Man.  
_

"Rock! Come in Rock!"

"Yes Dr. Light?" Rock broke out of his thought, starting to scan Bomb Man's body to see if it would get up again. It wouldn't.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just need a few repairs. This fight is finished."

_I have the I.C chip, its not like he's gone for good..._

"Rock! I need you to do something really quickly!"

"What is it doctor?" _FOCUS ROCK!_

"You know how each of the Robot Masters has their won unique power?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, another thing that makes you special is the Weapon Copy System. You have the ability to take the powers of defeated Robot master and use them for yourself!"

"So i can throw bombs like him?" Rock thought about Bomb Man's wide array. That was going to be sooooooooo sweet to have. "All of them?"

"Unfortunately, no. You will only have the ability to make them, no special modes on them. And you can only have one weapon at a time. Using Bomb Man's ability puts the Mega Buster away."

"Ugh. Alright then. How do I get it?"

"Just connect interface. A simple touch will do."

Mega put his hand on the left arm, feeling a little squeamish touching an empty shell.

WHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The circuits under his hand began to glow blue-white.

WEAPON COPY SYSTEM ACTIVATE

WEAPON: HYPER BOMB

SCANNING...

Mega Man felt a tingle running through his arm, all the way up to his head.

PROCESSING..

That tingle turned into a buzz, as Mega could feel himself changing. He saw blueprints of a bomb move before his brain.

And then FLASH of green went across his visual monitor.

PROCESS COMPLETE

HYPER BOMB ABILITY IS READY FOR USE

As the strange feeling subsided, Rock spoke into his monitor.

"I have the ability now Dr. Light."

"And nothing feels wrong?"

"No."

"Excellent. Come back to the lab and-"

BWOP! BWOP! BWOP!

Mega Man jumped back and turned.

"BOMB MAN! HE'S-HE'S-HE'S"

"WHAT?" Dr. Light screamed into the com-link. No way Bomb Man could still be online!

"He's decaying?"

"What?"

Dr. Light looked through Rock's view.

Bomb Man's body was breaking up, turning into bright orange balls of light and fading away.

"It must be a mechanism Wily put on them, so that they cant be studied. It's nothing Rock?"

"Rock?"

Rock Hikari watched silently as the last few pieces of Bomb Man scattered into the wind.

_See you later Bomb Man..._


	18. Men in Mechs

"Mega Man, come back to the Labs so I can repair you. You've been through a lot today."

Mega Man started walking. "Yeah, I'm ready to call it a day and- wait." His scanner was going crazy. "Something's up."

WARNING-TWO DANGEROUS ENTITIES APPROACHING

Dr. Light was terrified. _THE ROBOT MASTERS! _"ROCK! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Rock wasn't moving. He stood there, braving the danger. "Its not the Robot Masters, my scanner doesn't identify them."

"And Dr. Light? The energy readings are different. Its definitely not the Robot Masters." They got closer and closer, to where Mega Man could finally identify them.

"What the hell..."

* * *

They landed 50 feet from Mega Man, not making a word.

One was a huge knight-looking humanoid robot. He had a hat with its bill pointing downwards.

His shoulders bear spherical blue jewels in the center and a sharp spike on the top. He could see the hilt to some kind of blade on his back. Inviting.

The other one was a lot smaller, not even 8 feet. It looked like a fighter jet in human form. It got Mega thinking of Starscream x Gundam.

Mega was already having second thoughts about staying. He wasn't exactly in shape for a fight, especially 2v1...

But they wanted something. And he was gonna find out what.

He waited and

waited and

waited...

nothing. They just stared at him.

Considering how he had be ambushed by a bomb, Mega was feeling pretty edgy.

"Who are you?" If they weren't gonna speak, he was.

Nothing.

NO! NOT THESE MIND GAMES!

Mega Man whipped out his buster. "WHO ARE YOU? ANSWER ME!"

Not one never seemed to move from either of them.

_Why aren't they reacting in the slightest? Are they that fast and powerful? You know what? This is too much! I gotta get outta here!_

* * *

_"Touch base now."_

Sigma's voice came into Colonel's headset.

_"Remember, this is a diplomatic mission. Don't start a fight Drew."_

_"Yeah, I got it."_ Drew looked toward his partner in the other machine next to him._ "You ready kid?"_

_"I was born ready Colonel."_ Ace practically shouted. He was having the time of his life in there. _"Lets go make some Murican democracy."_

As Colonel took a step forward, Ace noticed how Mega Man shrunk back. _He's scared, ready to bail. Oh God, Colonel is gonna mess this up._

Colonel had a speech all worked up. "Mega Man, do not be afraid."

Mega Man almost dropped his Buster in surprise. It could talk. But what did it want? And how could he trust them..

"Mega Man, we come in peace-"

Ace pushed Colonel behind him.

"HELLO! WE'RE FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND WERE HERE TO HELP!"

Colonel just glared at him. _Did you just._

"The g-government?" Mega said, just lowering his buster. "What do mean your here to help?" He had been waiting for this conversation for a while. The first one acted exactly as he expected: cold and official. The second: not so much. Good Cop-Bad Cop act?

"Well," Ace continued. "We kind of want to make an alliance with you, Mega Man!"

_An alliance?_ "How can I trust you?"

Ace turned it around on him, raising his eyebrows. "How can we trust _you? _When this conflict threatens the world, how can you expect for us to just twiddle our thumbs and do nothing? How can we trust you with all that responsibility by _yourself? _Don't we have a say in how this war will be fought, especially when its on our land?"

Mega Man was taken aback. That was a really good question. _They DO have a right to defend themselves..._

"And speaking of conflict, did you know that countries are starting to stockpile mechs like us in an arms race? We are on on the precipice of another Cold War, even worse, WW3!"

"WHAT?" Mega hadn't really thought about it like that. He had been too busy thinking about the Robot Masters...

Colonel stepped in front of Ace. "Which is why we need your help. A few days ago, A Russian scientist by the name of Mikhail Sergeyevich Cossack went off the radar. We need your help finding him. We think he is still somewhere in Russia. Can you go find him and bring him to the US? We would send people to find him, but we don't want another international incident."

Mega Man thought about it. He didn't really want to do it- he didn't trust the US with this Cossack guy... nor did he want to mix it up with Russians..

But if he refused, they could declare Mega Man a hostile...

and end up knocking down the Hikari home.

"Alright then, I'll go get Cossack."

"GREAT!" Ace pipped up. "And anything you need in your fight against Wily, we will be happy to give it to you!" Ace took out a piece of paper for one of his containers."Here is the number to reach us! Well, see you later!"

With that, Ace gave a salute, turned on his jets and flew into the distance, Colonel close behind.

Rock stood there for a moment, wondering what the hell he just agreed to. _Well, if nothing else wants to come out of the shadows, guess its time to leave._

Turning on Stealth Mode, Mega was on his way back to Light Labs when he turned his attention back to Dr. Light.

"Dr. Light?"

"Rock! Thank goodness your okay! Hurry back, I need to repair you."

"What do you know about Mikhail Cossack?"

* * *

He stood in front of the screen, motionless, emotionless.

There was a buzzing in his ears briefly, which was probably Break Man shouting.

But for the longest of times, he was in silence. Trying to digest it.

Bomb Man was destroyed, killed off in a 1v1 showdown with Mega Man in front of the whole world.

That left a sour taste in his mouth and a poor feeling in his gut.

The Robot Masters came in, still carrying Elec Man, each giving him their own look of shock,

of terror,

of agony,

of disgust,

of hope.

Hope that Dr. Wily could do something, could SAY something.

He had no words, nothing that he could say to make them feel better.

He never expected, never even though that, the Robot Masters could EVER be defeated.

And now one was already dead.

SCHRRRRRRRRCH! CRRNNNNNNNNNNKKK!

Elec Man was blowing sparks and writhing around.

Wily looked up in alarm.

He already lost one creation today, he wouldn't lose another.

"Get him to the operating table."

As the Robot Masters wen one way, he went the other.

Not because he needed something in the other direction,

but because he simply couldn't face the Robot Masters.

_Maria, things don't look too good tonight..._

_"_UMPHH!"

Dr. Wily stepped back to confront this new entity.

"Break Man?"

"Dr. Wily. A word."

Dr. Wily nodded his head,

and gulped.

As much as he knew he had Break Man's loyalty...

the robot could be quite unsettling to talk with.

"The Robot Masters have had enough. Let me deal with Mega Man on my own."

Wily raised an eyebrow. No doubt that Break Man could probably beat Mega Man all by himself...

"No."

Break Man almost jumped back in surprise. "No?"

"No."

"Let me get this straight. You beg me to go to DenTech City and destroy Mega Man about a month ago. And now, after you lose a Master, you refuse my service. Why?"

"Because- you were right before."

"Right about what?"

"That the Robot Masters deserve a chance at vengeance. What I saw in their eyes..."

Dr. Wily paused, a tear coming to his own.

"I saw pain and dread. But I also saw past that-

I saw rage." "The rage that would consume them. That rage would drive their every waking thoughts and actions."

"Do you understand now, Break Man? I cannot simply snuff out their vengeful spirits now that they're about to peak. Now if you excuse me-" Wily walked past Break Man. " I have a patient that needs surgery."

As he walked out of sight, Break Man stared at the floor.

"That won't stop me," he said, clenching a fist.

"from being more _active_ in this campaign."

He turned on his wrist com-link. "Tango! Meet me outside."

He started walking towards an exit. "We are going to start hanging around DenTech City a little more."

* * *

"That was amazing Rock!" Lan Hikari was slipping into his blue pajamas.

"Thanks Lan! That's 1 down, 5 to go!" Rock was in his white and blue plaid pajamas.

"So, when are you gonna use those new bombs ya got?"

"When I need to."

"C'mon, I wanna watch you blow stuff up!" Lan tugged on Rock's arm.

"That reminds me, Lan-"

Lan's eyes glimmered. "Yeah Rock?" Could Rock be about to ask for Lan's help? That would be so cool!

"Since Monday and Tuesday are gonna be off days, me and Rush are gonna leave Friday morning-"

"AND I GET TO COME WITH YOU?" Lan's grinned from ear to ear. An adventure, with the super powered robot Mega Man!

"No. I need you to cover for me while I'm gone. Make sure no ones asks any questions."

Lan's face sunk like a stone. _B-B-But, I wanted to kick Robot Master butt and save the day with your Rock..._

"Is that it?"

"No."

Lan's mood picked up again. "What else?"

"Do some chores around here while I'm gone. And your homework."

"WHAT?" Lan was in disbelief, surely he could be of some use other than that.

"C'Mon, lemme come with you!"

"Your not serious. Lan, I'm a mechanical fighting machine, your a little boy. We are extremely different. Its my job to fight so you don't have to."

"B-But, i still want to help..." Lan said as he crawled onto his bed.

Rock rubbed his brother's head. "I know you want to Lan, and I appreciate you being so brave. But this isn't a video game, this is real life! And if you ever got hurt,

I,

I,

I,

..."

He looked down on the mattress, going silent.

Lan gave his brother a hug. "its okay, I understand. Its just that, well, when I see you hurt sometimes, it hurts me too. I'm your brother, and I want to be there for you always. I hate it when they beat up on you. I want to be able to be side-by side with you, and defend you when your in trouble, is all."

"I know." Rock said with a small smile."Me too."

Rock tucked Lan in, giving him one last hug. "Good night Lan. I love you"

"Good night Rock. I love you too."

As he turned off the lights, got into his own bed, and started powering down his systems, Rock gave Lan one last look.

_Dont worry Lan. Soon this is will all be over, and I'll take you out on so many explorations and adventures._

_I promise..._

* * *

A silent as a church mouse, he opened the front door.

It was a cold night, and he took a moment to take off his hat and his sweater.

_She should be asleep by now, hope I didn't wake her._

He tiptoed up the stairs, up to a bedroom door...

and there she was, soundly asleep.

She was beautiful as an angel.

Just like her mother.

Barrel Caskett walked over to his granddaughter. He hadn't been with Roll since he left for Europe for business several months ago.

_It's certainly been a minute Roll._

He stroked her hair, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She slept soundly, barely reacting. "mmmmmmm..."

_See you in the morning Roll._

As he walked away, his mind slowly began to turn back to the task that would keep him up.

And as he closed her door shut and turned around...

a figure was standing in wait.

"Nothing like close to home terrorism to really bring a family together, ain't that right old man?"

"Glyde. Its so great to hear you and your great sense of humor again."

"So big guy," Glyde said with a sly smile. "what brings you back?"

Barrel looked offended. "Visiting my granddaughter to see if she is alright isn't enough?"

"Oh no." Glyde said with rather dismissive tones and facial expressions. "Its just that I know that a good businessman might have a few underlying goals and objectives when he makes decisions."

There was a pause for a moment, as the two men stared each other down.

...

"Damn, I taught you well Glyde." Barrel began walking down the stairs.

Glyde laughed, clapping his hands together as he followed his employer.

"So, why are you really back Barrel?"

"Glyde." Barrel paused,

and gulped at the idea of what he was about to say.

"We need to make some modifications to Project Volnutt."

The merry expression on Glyde's face disappeared.

"What kind of modifications?" He asked, a mixture of shock and confusion.

"We need to restore all of his old equipment, and look to create new gear."

"But we haven't touched Volnutt in a year! He was going to be a birthday present for Roll this February! After what we went through to de-weaponize him, you want to make him a soldier again? But why-"

The gears in Glyde's head start turning...

turning...

turning...

_DING!_

"Barrel Caskett you son of a bitch." Glyde clenched his fists, absolutely furious.

"We need defenders Glyde."

"After all that time making sure he would be peaceful robot and great brother, you want to send him back out to battle?"

Barrel turned to face him. "You know Volnutt could be a crucial asset to this war."

"He's not even needed! Mega Man killed off one of those Robot Masters TODAY!"

"First of all," Barrel said, raising a finger. "those little turtles things randomly exploded. SECOND, do you really expect for the Robot Master to keep fighting him one at a time?"

"What about those other machines? They could help out!"

"And if they fail? Who is there to pick up the slack?"

"But what if those Robot Masters destroy Volnutt find out about _us?_ Your putting us all in danger, including your granddaughter!"

"DON'T USE THAT CARD WITH ME!" Barrel snapped. "If you haven't noticed, I have a metal plate on the left side of my head, so I know about danger butler! I just-"

"I-just"

"I-just"

He fell on the couch.

"I just want to protect my granddaughter, and everyone else." Tears were coming out of his human eye.

Glyde felt uncomfortable. The Legendary "Barrell the Invincible" was weeping before him.

"As I sat on the jet watching the blasts, i could think if is 'what if'. Glyde, she is the only family I have left, I would do ANYTHING to make sure she's alright. That is why-"

He stood up again, heading for the back door, and giving Glyde a strong look.

"That is why I'm going to work on that Robot all night long. The only question is if your going to help me."

There was another silence. Glyde gazed at the man who he had first met about 25 years ago at an Egyptian dig. Despite all the years and hardships, Barrel seemed to magically turn back the hands of time in those quiet moments, looking as strong and determined now as he did back then.

No way was he going to let him work on Volnutt alone.

It wouldn't feel right, him sleeping while that old man worked desperately on highly-dangerous equipment. Seeing as to how unstable he was, Glyde doubted he would get any sleep at all, he could already imagine himself twisting and turning in the covers.

And knowing Barrel Caskett, it would probably come back to be a good thing that this happened.

Still, it was gonna be some long nights ahead.

He gave a long sigh. "Alright, lets go work on Volnutt." He said, following Barrel past the doors...

They came to the door which hid Volnutt away from the world.

"You ready to do this old man?"

"I have to be."

And with that, they walked past.

"Long time no see Volnutt..."

END OF PART TWO


	19. Strikeout

"Wake up Lan. It's time for breakfast."

After briefly wrestling with his mom for the blanket, Lan finally accepted his fate and sat up. He looked around, neither Rock or Rush seemed to be sighed. "I guess he's already gone, wish I could have said goodbye..."

"Well sweetie, _he did." _She slipped off a post-it from his forehead.

_Dear Lan, I'm sorry that U had to leave while you were still sleeping. I'll call you later when I have time and you're out of school. Love you, and good morning, or as they say in Russia, _Доброе утро!

Lan couldn't help but smile and get a good morning feeling. _Thanks Rock_.

He looked around, Solomon else was missing. "Where's Roll?"

"Roll is back at the Lab's helping your Grandpa and Auto." Mrs. Hikari said. "Now get for breakfast, I made eggs and hash browns!"

* * *

As he walked out his house to the bus stop, Maylu was already there, munching on a bagel. "Oh hey Lan, where's Rock?"

"Rock is off in Russia somewhere."

"Okay...why?"

"He needs to find some scientist named Cossack. He should be there by now."

"Oh, Okay then. A superhero's work is never done I guess." As the bus came up and sat down, Maylu spoke again. "Did you start Ms. Mari's homework yesterday?"

"WHAT?" This was news to Lan, who was starting to go into panic. "What homework was due today?"

"Not today, it's due Monday. It's the review for our test on Tuesday."

Lan exhaled again. "Oh thank God."

"Me and Roll worked on like a quarter of it, your can come over to my house later to get the answers and help us out."

"Okay, then, thanks!"

As the bus pulled up to Echo Ridge Elementary, they met Roll Caskett as walked off and headed toward the classroom. "MAYLU!" Roll just about tackled her. "Grandpa's home! He woke me up and made me pancakes and he's picking me up and he's going to my soccer practice and thenwearegoingforarideontheflutterandtomorrow-"

"O-Okay Roll, slow down." Maylu was a more than a little discombobulated after all of that.

"Grandpa says he came home from Europe early just to spend time with me! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's wonderful! How long is he staying?"

"For like, 2 weeks!"

"That's great!" Maylu looked at her cell phone. "C'mon, guys, we gotta get inside, the bell is about to ring."

"Okay, wait... where's Lan?"

Maylu look around. "He was just here.."

She turned and saw Lan at the bottom steps of the entrance.

"Lan, what are you doing?"

"..."

"LAN!"

"... I'm waiting for Geo. Calm down."

"Maybe's he in the classroom already! C'mon, let's go!" As she dragged him into class, Lan turned one last look around.

Something was wrong, he could feel it.

* * *

White.

For miles upon miles, thick white snow and icy winds blanketed the Earth.

And he couldn't even see it all, for the sun had gone out for some time now. Many men have lost their lives to General Snow, and he didn't want to join wore a thick blue parka and goggles, for it would be foolish to go against the Russian winter with bare skin, even if you were a Hikari settled down in the tundra, his robotic dog with a parka of his own, laid by his side.

It was about 7 PM in back in California. Time to call in back to the Labs.

"... Rock?"

"Hey Roll, how's it going?"

"Not so good, I went to the Stravinsky Science research facilities, along with its academy. I bugged all of those places. I got a few mentions of Cossack, but nothing of where he's gone to. I'll try his house tomorrow."

"Well... good luck and stay warm! It's raining here, so we are all inside too. Dr. Light is finishing work upstairs, and Lan is probably off playing video games or sleeping."

"Well let me call Lan myself. Talk to you later Roll." "WOOF!"

"Bye guys, love you both."

Rock called Lan's cell phone, just waiting for his brother's excited voice.

Voicemail.

Voicemail again.

Voicemail AGAIN.

_Why aren't you picking up?_

Tracking Lan's phone and the GPS in his watch, Rock surmised that he was at a baseball field.

_Wait, didn't Roll just say it was raining?_

He tried calling again,

just more voicemail.

_Damnit Lan._

Rock dialed another number, he knew who to call for this.

* * *

Her cell phone started vibrating.

It was Rock, calling from international: Russia.

"... Hello?"

"Maylu, can you hear me?"

"Yeah Rock. What's up? How is your mission going?"

"Not too good. Anyways, is it raining outside?"

"Yeah, it's coming down-"

SCKADOOOOOUSSHHH! Lightning crackled outside.

" -pretty badly."

"So what are you doing?"

"Just watching a movie."

"So there is nothing going on at the baseball field right?"

"No, of course not, why would there be?"

"Lan is at the baseball field, I-"

"WHAT?" Maylu jumped up. "Why would he be there right now?" _Lan's been messed up all day. He broke 3 pencils today in class. I know that was about Geo, and that Lan took off for Geo's house today,he would have messaged me if anything important happened. But this? This doesn't make any sense.__  
_

"Could you go down there and get him for me?"

"Of course." She said, going the closet for her raincoat.

"Thanks Maylu, I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. I'll call you when I have Lan back inside, hopefully without a cold. Later Rock."

"Later Maylu."

* * *

Dentech City was a monsoon tonight. Fat droplets of water came down fierce, soaking down every possible place the water could reach. The streets were desolate at the citizens of this now-drenched city settled inside their homes for shelter

_I must be the one idiot walking through this for miles. All for that stupid boy._ She slowed down her pace, cursing Lan.

A terrible thought ran through her mind. _What if Lan got in a fight?_ Images flashed through her mind of Lan getting beat up by some older boys, then left abandoned. And if no one was out there, no one would find him.

She quickened her pace, turning into a full-on sprint in the rain. SPLEESH! SPLEESH! SPLEESH!

Lan had probably been left there, lying in a pool of his own blood...

_I'm coming Lan!_

As she was nearing the field, she could hear noises coming from inside. THOCK! THOCK! THOCK!

A baseball bat against Lan's ribs? THOCK!

_LAN!_

She rounded the corner, past the wooden gate at an entrance, and she saw...

Lan, vest gone, was on the mound, looking at a piece of wood with a strike zone painted on it, his back to Maylu. He winded up a pitch, throwing a curve-ball with all of his might. It hit the middle of the strike zone. THOCK! Baseballs littered home plate. About a dozen, maybe more.

_He's playing BASEBALL? IN THE MIDDLE OF A DOWNPOUR LIKE THIS! AND TO THINK I WAS WORRIED ABOUT HIM FOR EVEN A SECOND!_

Lan reached down into a bucket, and apparently there was none left, for he picked it up and started walking back to home plate.

He picked them all up, but as he picked up the bucket, he grabbed his arm.

Maylu was concerned about him for a second, but then realized Lan had brough this upon himself

_He's strained it. He can't keep it up. He's going to leave soon. __And when he does, __that ass is mine. __Screw you Lan Hikari, __making me come out here for this, __thinking something is wrong with you, __and-_

It just fully occurred to Maylu that her best friend was pitching in the rain all alone.

_What on Earth on your doing?_

Just as Lan was turning around back to the pitcher's mound, Maylu hid behind the wooden gate.

THOCK! He hadn't noticed her, already pitching again.

Maylu turned around to watch him some more, still not ready to confront him. She still didn't have a clue on what was going on, what it was all about.

THOCK! He pitched a fastball.

THOCK! Fastball again.

THOCK! Another one.

THOCK! Another. Each one was faster and more fierce than the last.

THOCK! THOCK! THOCK! THOCK!

"IIIIIYYAAAAAH!" Lan roared as he threw this one, and it rocketed toward the plate. She had never seen Lan like this, so furious, so angry.

THOOOOOCK! Maylu thought the impact could be heard for a mile.

"GAAAAAAAAHHH!" Lan collapsed in pain, holding his shoulder.

_Oh my God._

His screaming and cries of pain tore at her heart. Her best friend was laying there, helpless, hurt. couldn't take it anymore. She rushed towards him.

* * *

_Hey Lan, wanna ride bikes later?_

THOCK!

_Lan! I just got the new Ratchet and Clank game, wanna come over to my house later and play?_

THOCK!

_Lan, check out my cool new Beyblades! Let's play with them now!_

THOCK!

_You were always there for me Geo..._

THOCK!

_WHY CANT I EVER BE THERE FOR YOU?_

THOCK!

The tears were coming hot down Lan's cheeks.

Sprinting to Geo's house today, Lan was mortified of what he found of his best friend.

He was hurt... so badly...

_DAMNNIT!_

He should have check on him yesterday, but instead he was gushing all about Rock fighting Bomb Man.

THOCK!

_DAMNNIT ALL!_

"IIIIIYYAAAAAH!"

Throwing in all of his fury, Lan hurled the ball square in the center.

THOOOOOCK! He could see fresh cracks in the wood.

_Why couldn't he help Geo, after all that Geo did for him?..."_

"GAAAAAAAAHHH!"

His arm.

He felt it exploding and splitting apart. He fell to the ground, screaming. A pitiful sight to behold. Lying in the dirt, all alone in the rain. With one good arm, screaming like a was pathetic.

_How can I ever possibly help Geo? I can barely survive to be to take care of myself. __I'm a loser..._

"LAN!"

He looked up in surprise. "M-Maylu?"

"Its okay, Lan. I'm going to help you get out of this." First step, getting to someplace dry.

The dugouts. "C'mon Lan, just get up and HNNNNG! Yeah, that's it, keep moving, d-d-d-don't fall down..."

Part carrying, part dragging Lan over to the dugouts, seemingly an inch at a time, resting him on the bench, Maylu was completely exhausted as she sat down.

_Oh...my...God...my heart... is going... to explode._

_Now, what was I going to do again. Step one: get out of the rain. Check_

_Step two:_

_Step two..._

_Step two?  
_

_Oh wait that's right: Call someone to pick us up_.

Getting out her cell phone, she called the person that was most likely not to get them in trouble.

"...Hello? Maylu?"

"Mrs. Stelar? Yeah hi, its me Maylu." She added a little nervous laughter, just wincing at what she was about to ask.

"Well, hello to you to! Geo is still sleeping-"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you!" Maylu said. More nervous laughter. "You see, Lan and I are in a bit of a jam..."

The light bulb in Hope's head went off. She knew exactly what this was about.

She should have seen this coming. _Damnit, not again Lan..._

"Your at the baseball field right?"

A stunned silence..

"Maylu!"

"Y-Y-Yeah, but how did you know that?"

"Just sit tight. I'll be there in about 20 minutes."

"O-Okay, see you when you get here..."

"See you Maylu, bye."

Putting down her phone, Maylu felt a little terrified. _HOW DID SHE KNOW WE WERE HERE?__  
_

_Wait, calm down brain. Lan must've told Mrs. Stelar before he left._

_Speaking of Lan..._

She turned back to him, remembering just how furious she was at him.

How he made her come in freaking ankle deep water.

How he made her drag his ass to shelter.

How they are alone and its dark as hell out here.

And how,

how,

how messed up was?

Just looking at him, the anger flowed out of her...

He wasn't the same Lan.

Lan was bright, happy, energetic, outgoing.

Always able to crack a smile or a joke.

No matter what bad thing came is way, he managed to shrug it off and bounce right back.

With that attitude, he could really pick up someone else's day.

Sometimes including her's.

This was like meeting a whole different person.

He was just staring depressingly at the ground, still holding his arm.

Looking beat up, depressed, and defeated.

Starting at him like that, she couldn't get angry at him anymore.

She didn't want to punch his face in anymore.

She wanted to hold his hand and tell him everything was going to be okay.

She scooted up to his side. "Lan, tell me what wrong, _please_._  
_

Silence. He didn't even take his eyes off the ground.

"Lan! Please tell me, what is going on, why are are you doing this?"

"..."

"Lan..."

"Its because," Lan said, look up at here. Tears still flowing his face,

"I'm a terrible best friend."

_Terrible best friend?_

_This isn't the Lan I know._

_What is wrong with him.._

"Lan, what are you talking about? Your a great best friend."

*sniff "I went over to Geo's house today, and the reason, he wasn't at school today was,

was,"

*sniff "he, he,

he," another tear streamed down his cheek. He could barley get the words out.

"he crashed his bike."

"What?" Maylu was shocked. A friend of hers had been injured and she hadn't even known? "H-H-How bad?"

"He got hurt really, really

REALLY badly."

"And it was because,

because...

because he was up all night finishing that homework packet."

"Wait, FINISHING?" Maylu couldn't believe it. No way could Geo be done that that packet in one night.

"Yeah, he did the whole thing overnight, and because of that, he was tired this morning, and woke up late."

"And because of that, he was rushing to school on his bike, andcrashed into a tree." "And now..."

"NOW!..."

"Now he's all cut and beat up." *Sniff.

Lan clenched his fist. "And I'M to blame for that! I should have call him yesterday, or SOMETHING."

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE IGNORED HIM!"

Maylu didn't want to see him re-aggravate his arm. "Lan, Lan, Lan! Calm down! There is still something I don't do you feel you feel so responsible for him? Why are you beating yourself up like this?"

"Because, every time I look at Geo,

all I can see is ME!"

"What I used to be like!"

"And then all I could think of is what Geo used to do for me, how he was always around for me. How much I could depend on him for support, know matter what."

"And now, when he's there for me,

I can't do the same!"

Again, this was all new territory to Maylu. She couldn't imagine Lan ever acting like Geo. "Lan, you were like him one time? But how?"

"I used to be really.."

*sigh.

Lan was starting to get tired out.

sick."

"Geo would come to the hospital and check on me, call me at the house. That's how we became best friends."

He started sneezing. "ECCHOOO! ECHKCHOO! ECHOOO!" He sat back on the bench, emotionally and physically drained.

He was so tired...

Dropping his head to Maylu's shoulders, Lan passed out and fell asleep.

She started to blush as Lan slept on her. Part of her wanted to push him off.

_No Malyu, __let him rest._

For what seemed to be an eternity, Maylu just sat there. Watching the harsh rain settle down to a drizzle. She glanced at Lan, who was nodding off alongside thought she knew everything about him. His family, his personality. Now she felt that she didn't know him at all. _Lan Hikari, just who are you..._

Headlights illuminated the dark . Stelar came rushing out, in full rain gear with a coat and umbrella.

"Where are you kids?!"

Maylu ran out of the dugout, waving her arms. "Over here! Over here!"

"Where's Lan?"

"Shhhh. He's sleeping..."

"Here, take the umbrella, and the car is unlocked, I'll get Lan."

* * *

"Listen Maylu," Hope started as they drove down the road, Lan still asleep. "I am so thankful for you coming out and getting Lan. That boy could use a guardian angel.

Shoot, my boy could use one even more." She looked back from here rear-view mirror. Maylu was silent, looking at the floor, like she was still trying to process this whole ordeal.

Hope sighed, she could sympathize with Maylu on that. "Those boys have known each other since they were potty-trained. They got a strong friendship between them. And just knowing those two boys, they gonna do some crazy stunts every now and then."

She looked again, nothing.

Maybe she should try to pick a lighter angle about the subject.

"The boys, they used to run down to the baseball field and watch the older kids play. They would pitch to each other all day, they both said they were gonna be MLB superstars someday."

She chuckled. "I still have pictures of them as toddlers in cute little uniforms."

She looked again, Maylu still wasn't responding at all. Hopefully, she was just trying to fend off the Sandman too.

"Don't worry about getting in trouble. I'll call your parents and tell them something."

"Thank you Mrs. Stelar."

Hope raised here eyebrows. So she was still awake, and just in a melancholy about the whole damn thing.

_I wish I could say it gets any easier,  
_

_but I guess time doesn't heal all wounds._

* * *

She sat back on the couch, looking for something good on late night TV. There were a few things on, like Z-Nation,but nothing she really wanted to watch.

Maylu was just about ready for bed. After calling their parents and telling them that they were going to spend the night at her place, Mrs. Stelar had dropped off Lan in the family guest room. Maylu had check on Lan, he looked a little sick...

_He'll be fine Maylu, better go text Rock._

After sending him a quick message, she found herself yawning.

__Lan'll be fine in a few days, especially when Rock gets back. He had a little psycho moment today, but haven't we all?__

_I don't mind picking up the slack, and tomorrow, I'll find out just what was wrong with Lan as a baby. __I mean, other than him being dropped on his head.__Well, time for some shut-eye girl. You earned it after tonight._

So she laid her head on the pillow, drifting off...

CLICK!

"Mom?"

Maylu sat up. "Geo?"

"Maylu, what are you doing here?"

"Well I was out getting Lan because-"

It took Maylu a moment to remember.

But once she did, she could feel herself boiling...

That Lan was out there.

_Because of GEO!_

Getting up to actually face him, Maylu could actually see that Lan wasn't exaggerating. Geo had a busted lip, a bandage over his eye, and cuts and scratches littered his face. Even though he was wearing full pajamas, Maylu could see a few bandages on his body.

But Geo brought that on himself. She couldn't care less about him.

All she could think about was Lan.

"Because, assclown, Lan was at the baseball field, trying to cool off after looking at you today! And since one of us actually needs to be a good friend to him, I was able to find him and call your mom, who let us stay the night?"

"Wait what? Where's Lan? Is he in the guest room?"

"Don't you go NEAR him!" She practically threw him against the wall and then pinned him.

"ACK! Get, off!" Geo was trying to push her away, but Maylu was furious, and he was in no condition for a fight.

"Do you, even care, an IOTA of amount for Lan that he does for you? He drags your ass out of the house. He rages over you, he cries over you. And all you do is just go around being super emo and make Lan feel so guilty! DO YOU APPRECIATE HIM AT ALL?"

Like lightning, Geo reversed it and slammed her back into the wall.

"Don't ever question my appreciation for Lan ever again."

Turning away from the shocked Maylu, Geo opened the door.

There he was, sleeping away in the bed, resting and recovering.

Geo could hear a slight cough in Lan's breathing. Hearing it made his heart sink.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, Geo just watched him for a few minutes, not saying a word.

_I'm taking him down with me..._

Maylu slowly walked in, half ready to drag Geo out and beat him to death,

when she noticed that,

Geo was crying. "Lan, I'm sorry..."

_H-H-He really does care?"_

A rush a guilt went through Maylu. _Geo was already going through a lot, but now I make him feel bad?_

_Oh my gosh..._

"Listen, Geo..."

"It's okay. Sometimes I feel like yelling at myself. Listen, Maylu..."

Geo held up the blanket, revealing Lan's right arm. Pulling back Lan's sleeve, Geo showed Maylu a blue watch that Maylu never saw before.

"Maylu, Lan needs to wear this at all times. Got it?"

"Yeah but-" Maylu was breathless. Was she about the learn the mystery of Lan Hikari? "-why does he wear a watch if he always checks his cell phone for time?"

"Because," Geo paused, looking at Maylu, giving her a look. "If Lan hasn't told you, I don't think I should..."

"Tell me! Please!" Maylu couldn't take it anymore, she just HAD to know!

Geo looked at Lan, then back to Maylu, unsure of what to do.

"I-I-I, I'd rather Lan tell you himself. But back to the watch. All you really need to know is that Lan needs to always wear this. So promise me-"

But Maylu was still bummed about not getting the secret. "C'mon Geo, we both care about Lan a lot..."

"Maylu, FOCUS!." Geo grabbed her arm, she snapped back to attention. "Maylu, PROMISE ME, that you'll always check to make sure Lan has this, okay?"

"What happens if he doesn't-"

"Just promise me!" Hot tears were coming down his face.

Maylu had never seen Geo this scared. Wait, maybe scared wasn't the word. _Terrified._

"I-I-I promise Geo."

Geo gave her a long look. Finally satisfied with her answer, he released his grip on her. Putting Lan's arm back under the blanket and re-tucking him in, Geo walked out of the room."Good night Maylu."

Taking a moment to process what just happened, Maylu's body felt exhausted as she got back onto the couch. But her mind was on full throttle. Just thinking of all the possibilities of her friend Lan and what that watch is supposed to do for him. On, and on and on...

But eventually, her mind fizzed out into sleep.


	20. Assanova

"How you hanging there Ace?" Drew wasn't looking at him though, he was still looking at a house from his car.

"..."

"Ace?" Drew finally turned around. He hadn't left Ace at the Starbucks did he?

In the back seat, he saw a mountain of coffee cups.

Pushing them out of the way, Drew found his comrade, buried beneath them, a light snore.

_Lightweight._

With that, he went back to stalking...OBSERVING the house._  
_

He checked his watch, it was 11:27 AM in the Emerald City of Seattle. To blend in, Drew decorated his F-150 with Seahawks logos and memorabilia, and was even wearing a Seahawks jacket. There were fresh flowers on the dashboard. Any second now, he was going to go lay them on her porch, the same way he did 20 years ago. And if she just happened to call him, a shower in the local Holiday Inn and a few sets of good clothes would ensure that he looked.

_goooooooood and ready to GO-AH! _Drew snickered. He was feeling good today. With Robot Master gone, it will just geat easier from here. And before he would know it, he would be out of Repliforce and married to that beautiful blonde.

The house itself looked alright. Rectangular in design, its left side sat on a hill, featuring small a 90 degree-ish angle stairway. It was painted a nice shade of yellow, and a grey Toyota Camry was sitting out front. Small bushes underneath the windows, and large trees behind it, completed that nice, suburban middle-class look.

For a second, Drew found that ridiculous. _They paid us 6, 7 figures _ _a year for our jobs. Alia should be a millionaire. why live here?_

_Is she trying to hide? Get away from it all like me?_

She had reached the house, security and intel confirmed usage of a laptop at about 2 A.M.

But no one emerged from the house _now_, and the mailman had already run by at 9...

_I guess she stay indoors after coming home from Repilforce. It is quite a way back and forth and everything._

Since one of the Robot Masters had been destroyed, it was assumed that Wily would not be back for a while, and Sigma dismissed the primary teams. Drew and Ace would have to go back soon for training with the mechs. But right now he had free time...

_Well, now or never._

"Ace," Drew lightly tapped him on the head, waking him up. "Ace!"

"zaaa, wha?"

"Wake up man!" Drew snapped." That's the second time you've gone out!"

"Okay, okay, I'm up, Okay!" Ace looked delirious Whaddya need me to do mate?"

"I want you to watch the house as i go up there and run around back, to tell me who comes out.

As he said that, a thought struck Drew's mind. _When i left, Alia was going out with Gate... maybe they settled down...__  
_

He shook it off, not wanting to believe that. _Time to find out._

"I'm out Ace."

Getting out of his car with the flowers, Drew walked briskly to the up the driveway and to the doorsteps. Turning around to the car to make sure Ace was still conscious, he could see Ace giving him the thumbs-up.

Laying the flowers gently down, Drew rang the doorbell, and sprinted down the corner sidewalk.

He waited,

waited,

waited...

_okay, time to see the results._

He started walking back when he thought of something. _Alia might be waiting for me to walk by._

Drew decided to do the only logical thing.

CLICK! WOOSH!

Drew climbed back into his truck, with a grin that could not be surgically removed. He had not been detected by anyone at all.

He looked back to his partner, eager to find out Alia's reaction...

Wait.

Ace was trembling.

_So its either he's on a sugar rush,_

_or..._

"ACE!" Drew yelled. "REPORT!"

"W-W-W-W-W-Well... I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but,

but,

but,

but,"

"Spit it out!" Drew was on pins and needles out.

"When you set out those flowers," *gulp

"a dude came out."

* * *

"..."

Colonel was in stunned silence.

Alia was in a relationship.

And he had just delivered flowers,

which her partner had picked up.

It also contained a very heartfelt and...

intimate...

love note he had personally drafted himself.

And now, HE was going to read it...

oh God.

_I have made,_

_a huge mistake._

To make sure he didn't destroy Alia's personal life, there was only one thing he could do.

CLICK!

"DREW! What are you going to do?"

WOOOOSH!

He got out of his car.

He could hear a buzzing in his ears, then a tugging on his arm. Ace was probably trying to get him back in and reason with him.

But he couldn't turn back now.

* * *

DING-DONG!

Drew sat in wait, dreading the horrid moment that were about to come.

_Yes, I am afraid that there has been series of terrible mistakes. We mixed up the name, and therefore the address of this present. Please accept our dearest of apologies._

Footsteps were approaching the door.

_Here it comes..._

The door opened,

and...

a very confused teenager was holding the flowers in one hand,

and the already opened note in the other.

Drew stepped back, surprised. _Is this who Ace was talking about?_ _This is only a kid!_

_But he's to old to be her son, right?_

_Maybe this is just the wrong house..._

_And if he's already read the letter..._

_yep, time to bail._

"Hello, I'm from A Beautiful Day Florist, I think there had been a terrible mishap in name. Is the the home of Amy Mendes?"

The youth shook his head no.

"Well then, my dearest of apologies. I'll just write down this address and send a new bouquet free of charge to show how sorrowful we are."

He reached out his hands. "Now, if I could just take that, and be on my way..."

"DREW? What are you doing here?"

Drew looked past the boy. Alia had appeared, half shocked, half furious.

"Drew?" The kid swung around to face Alia, and the flowers and card that were at Drew fingertips went with him. "Mom! You know this guy?"

"Yeah, he's from work-"

"So this is kind of work you've been doing the past few weeks?" The boy was furious now.

"Axl! We will talk about this later. As for right now..." She charged toward Drew.

Shooing him off of the stairway and down the driveway, she left him off at the curb of the driveway. "And I never want to see you here ever again!"

She turned back toward the house, and SLAMMED the door shut.

Drew had had been literally thrown to the curb.

Without a word, he walked for the car.

CLICK!

He got in, strapped in his seatbelt, and slooooouched back in his seat, giving that far away look in his eyes.

A silence dominated the car.

"So, how did it go?" Ace said, still very nervous about what Drew might do next.

"She has a kid Ace,

she has a kid."


	21. Off to meet Saint Peter

St. Petersburg, Russia.

A lively, bustling city crowded with thousands of people.

And it just happened to be the city where Mikhail Cossack resided.

Finding his address using Russian computers, Rock smiled as entered the city.

While he knew Cossack wasn't there, his wife, and child Calinka were seen there yesterday.

That meant the house hadn't been deserted, and there might still be a clue there.

"No time for sightseeing Rush, lets go find Dr. Cossack's home."

_Perfect._ Rock thought. _No one's here._

"Well, only one way in: the chimney. Let's go stealth mode boy."

Going invisible, Rock and Rush flew up to the chimney,

and fell down in the house perfectly.

_Were in Rush,_ Rock said on the internal communicator. _Let's go in Cossack's room. Maybe he left a note or a clue or something._

Entering the master bedroom, Rock and Rush started going through drawers.

_Nothing._ Rock said, lying down in defeat. _Great_.

CLICK! WOOSH!

Rock turned around in surprise.

_NO! THERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!_

Just because Rock and Rush were invisible,

doesn't mean they couldn't be detected.

One little touch, one little bump,

and their cover would be blown.

_HIDE UNDER THE BED RUSH! _Rock slid under it as people walked in through the door.

"Now Calinka," Rock heard Mrs. Cossack say. "Let's go pick you out a _proper_ outfit for the Frozen concert."

Rock heard the small, quick taps of a little girl run across the house, followed by the heavier footsteps of a larger person.

_Thank God, they aren't coming towards us._

_K Rush, we couldn't find anything here. I'm thinking we go hit up some government buildings .Gonna be tricky not getting caught…_

_Woof Woof?_

_Yeah, we could follow those two, but they probably won't be talking about Cossack much on the way to the concert._

"There is my beautiful little ice princess!" Mrs. Cossack exclaimed. "Now, who wants to build a snowman?"

"I DO! I DO!" Calinka bounced up and down.

"Well then, lets go!"

"Okay!" The footsteps sped up again as the girl dashed back to the front door.

Mrs. Cossack, car keys in hand, followed suit, and Rock hear the CLICK! as she locked the door.

Rock breathed a sigh of relief. _ Better go make sure they leave._

He walked to the front door, and peered through the eye hole.

_Oh no._

Something was wrong.

The two had been stopped by three men as they were at their car. They were all in civilian clothing.

Calinka hid behind her mother, as if she knew these people.

Rock clenched his fist. If they were being kidnapped, the criminals would have to deal with him.

He cranked up his audio reception range. Something was happening.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Cossack tried to say boldly but the fear in her voice was obvious.

"Mrs. Cossack," the one in the middle responded. "We must escort you to a safe place. Please come with us willingly, and fast."

"Why now? What is going on? Can't you see I'm taking my daughter out to have fun? Why are you here?" Mrs. Cossack hugged Calinka tightly at her side, fear replaced by anger.

The one in the middle glanced to the two around him. Both of them were surveying the streets. They didn't look like they would chip in. He turned back to Mrs. Cossack. "Check your news feed, you don't seem like you trust whatever I would say next." He said quickly.

Mrs. Cossack whipped out her phone to do exactly just that. "Smart man." She grumbled under her breath.

Her face of anger gave way to horror as she saw the breaking news.

"It-it-it can't be…."

"We need to get you to safety, you may be in danger as well."

"Will you take us to Mikhal?" Mrs. Cossack said, shaking.

"We will take you to a facility where you can meet up with him after this is all over."

"Mommy, what going on?" Calinka tugged on her mom's jacket, very frightened."

"Can we continue this conversation in the car?" One of the other men interjected.

The one in the middle nodded. "Agreed. We have to move."

They started walking away. "Mommy…." Calinka whimpered. "What's wrong?"

"Your father…" Mrs Cossack choked on her words. "Your father…. And his friends… are in danger."

"WHAT?" Calinka screamed.

"Pipe down!" The third men said, giving Calinka a harsh look.

But she ignored him "Mommy! How is daddy in danger?!"

"I'll tell you in the car sweetie. Please hold your words until then. We need to go!"

Rock hear a flurry of car doors open and shut, then as one drove off, the other followed suit.

_Rush!_ Rock said. _Check the Russian news!_

_Arf! Arf!_

Rock began pulling up the Russian news as well.

_The headline…._

BREAKING NEWS: ROBOT MASTER ASSULTS ENGINEERING FACILITY

_No!_

_THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!_

_THEY FOUND HIM!_

_RUSH! WE HAVE TO GO RIGHT NOW! _ Rock scrambled for the chimney.

Mikhal Cossack and the lives of a thousand people were in grave danger.


	22. Concrete Plans

He had been the one to run away from danger. For that, he had lost a brother. Never again would he let that checked the Russian news. The attack was already circulating, just as he planned.

_It won't be long now before he shows up._

And when he did, Guts Man would make sure to stomp Mega Man into a thousand pieces. The best part: none of the Robot Masters even knew about this, nor did Lord wanted Mega Man's death to be a surprise. He could already see himself walking into the lair; showing off Mega Man's severed head to all of them. He imagined the look on their faces. Boy, would they be surprised and proud of him. Perhaps he could forgive himself for what had happened to his Bomb Man, looking down from Robot Heaven, smiling at him, knowing he had been , Guts Man was going to do this, all by himself.

No shame in using a little help, however.

"Mets!" Guts Man's booming voice echoed through the vicinity.

"Make sure those humans stay nice and tight, and get ready for the big shipment!"

_This ends today Mega Man, you die by my hands, a__nd my hands alone! F__or Bomb Man!_

Blips flashed across the screen of Guts Man's warning functions. Dozens of tanks and several fighter jets were storming across the Russian Siberia for him.

_Mega Man, you'll have to wait your turn. __Right now, it's time to construct some mayhem! __Let's show these meat bags just what happens when you come at Guts Man and his Super Arms!_

* * *

Mega Man and Rush had zoomed several hundred miles across Russia, Being invisible the whole way..Knowing just how much of a trap he was probably walking into, Rock hoped that he could sneak his way into the base undetected, and ambush the Robot Masters yet again….

_Just sit tight everyone, I'll be there soon!_

Rock saw dots on his radar. All concentrated in one area, almost too many to keep track of with this large a scope. The Russian military was already there.

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!BLEEP!"

_NO! WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING? YOU CANT BEAT THEM! THAT'S SUICIDE!_

And just as he predicted, the dots were starting to peter out.

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!BLEEP!"

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"

"BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"

" BLEEP!"

"…."

_NO!_

Rock flew and flew and flew toward the battlefield. Not wanting to believe, but already knowing what had just happened.

_Maybe they all got out in time!_

_Maybe they all got spared like in DenTech City! _

As he finally reached his destination, his fears seemed to be confirmed. Winter was an inferno. The burning metal of tanks illuminated the Siberia in flames.

_No…._

Rock was in tears.

All the men who had just died fighting the machines, with little chance of success, had just been wiped off the Earth.

_Woof!_

Rush, himself showing emotional pain himself, tried to steer his companion back on track. He pointed his nose to a huge grey gate blanketed by snow. It had been left open, just for the two of them. Rock regained his focus. If they had any chance of surviving this, they needed a plan. Rock scanned the complexes that made up the vicinity. Lots of small pockets of people were being held captive under close watch of the Mets. As for the Robot Masters, Rock was only picking up one.

_Have they gotten stealth mode too? No way this fast…._

Either way, Rock knew to be on guard.

_O-Okay Rush, here's the plan: we are going to fly in, past all the Mets and people, straight to the Masters. We'll ambush them destroy them all in second, and hack into them and disable the Mets. Got it?_

_Woof! _ Rush didn't exactly trust Rock's logic of disabling the Mets, or killing all 5 Robot Masters before any of them could react, but it was something.

_Okay then, let's go-_

STEALTH MODE SHUTDOWN REASON: EXHAUSTED POWER

Rock silently shrieked as he and Rush became visible again.

_OH NO, THEY CAN SEE US! __This just got a whole lot harder.__Oh well, we will just have to fly in and zip in and out of Met attacks._

Rock turned on his jets and rose. And immediately fell back down again.

_WHAT THE HELL?_

ROCKET JETS DISABLED REASON: POWER EXHAUSTED

_Alright, so first, I am going to have to put power notifications back on.__Second, screw you Russia for being so big._

"ENTER MEGA MAN, IF YOU DARE!" A voice exploded from inside the compound.

Guts Man, also the only Robot Master Rock sensed.

_Arf?_ Rush gave Rock a clues gaze. What now? How could they win this fight now?

Surely they wouldn't just go into the obvious trap set for them

"I'm sorry Rush."Rock said, taking a step towards the gate, making a determined expression. At least his buster was good to go.

He was going to need it.

"But we are going to have to personally disable every single Met, ourselves."


	23. Gut Wrench

Rock walked past the gate, fully expecting to be ambushed with each and every step he took. He knew he was being watched the whole time. _Here it comes._ He thought the whole way do the door. But not a thing happened as he got from the entrance area to the first stood in front of it for a second, taking a deep breath, the fight begins inside the door. The door opened without Mega Man even touching it. _I guess the Masters have hospitality._There it was, the first Met. It was standing behind another door. Between them both laid about 20 people, bound and gagged. Cossack was not among them. See Mega Man and Rush, it immediately fired 3 bullets. Rock leaped out of the way and fired his Buster.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

BWOOSH! The Met exploded into a ball of sparks and fire.

Rush went for the people, gnawing at the ropes until they were free. They immediately stood up, cheering for their hero Mega Man.

"Thank you, your all too kind." He said in Russian. "Stay here, it's safe. People should be coming shortly. " Mega Man and Rush proceeded to the next door in front of them.

_Wait a second, there was a door was on their right._ Rock turned. Four walls, Four doors, with hostages and Mets behind every single one. This is gonna take awhile.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! WARNING!

Rock checked his scanner. Four signals were coming up to Russia from the South Pacific. Four Robot means, Guts Man had isolated himself far away from his comrades. If he could take out Guts Man here, the Robot Masters' would lose their powerhouse in the blink of an eye. Rock calculated how long it would take the Robot Masters to get here. About 2 hours and 15 wanted to be long gone before the Robot Masters showed knows how long the fight with Guts Man would last, or how good of shape he would be coming out of a war like that.

_ I can't go around and destroy all these Mets, and defeat Guts Man, AND get out before the Masters arrive!_

_WOOF!_

Rock looked at Rush in disbelief. _Free everyone all by yourself Rush? That's insane… _And the only thing that would allow Mega Man the time he needed. After a few seconds of consideration, Rock nodded. _Okay Rush, I'll make a beeline for Guts Man. You rescue everyone here._

_Woof! _ Rush licked Rock's face as the boy gave him a hug._ Good luck boy. Take care of yourself._

_Woof!_ Rush dashed across the hall into the next room.

Rock calculated the most linear route to Guts Man. He would have to cross 3 buildings full of Mets.

_Okay then, here I go. _ Rock proceeded into the next room.

He had walked in on what appeared to be a meeting room. There were 3 Mets this time. 2 on two tables, 1 on the ground. The hostages were in the far back corners.

_Let's do this._

The Mets unleashed a barrage of bullets, but Rock ran along the wall, jumped and spun across the room, and started firing back

PEW! PEW!

BOOM!

Taking them all out, Rock almost forgot to free the scientists before he went into the next room.

Now he was in a lab, albeit destroyed one. Beaker glass littered the floor, as did the chemicals they contained. Tables in which the hostages were placed on made the room shaped like a giant B. Rock was at the top of the vertical line. There was a Met on the end of the room. As it fired at him, Rock's first instinct was to cut inside... and the Met that was right in front of him caught him by surprise. Rock turned his body inward, and the two bullets just skimmed by him. Blasting the one right in front of him, Rock jumped on top of the table and leaped across the room, firing at the second Met from above. Rotating upward, the Met didn't have enough time to react to the bullets coming at it…. BOOM! Rock landed on the ground, daintily as a flower.

As he faced the hostages, he noticed they were acting differently than the last. They jerked their heads to the side. As Rock followed….

POC!

"GYACK!"

Rock bounced off the impact of the explosion, colliding with the wall hard.

"EYAGH!"

One last Met that Rock forgot about.

_Ow, that stung._

The Met fired at him again. Rock ducked and fired a long distance bullet. Of course the Met blocked with his helmet, which gave Rock time to get to his feet. Running on the wall again, he waited for the Met to pop up and fire…

POC!

Rock sprung off the wall, firing at the Met as he went horizontal across the room. Sliding off the table, Rock sprung his head up and watched the Met burn up. Freeing the hostages, Rock checked his time. 2:05:56.

_Good work Mega Man_,_ let's keep going._


	24. Read Some Russian!

After fighting several more small skirmishes with Mets, Rock found himself on the verge of exiting the first building. _There's a door on the other side of the next room._

Walking in, Rock found out that he was in the cafeteria.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

Instantly, he was duck for cover as about a million bullets were coming right at him. Getting behind a table, Rock flipped it on its side as he counted the Mets he had only seen for a split second on his replay.

A dozen of them were in the room.

And that BOOM!

table was BOOM!

Dis BOOM! appearing!

BOOM!

Pretty Fast.

_Gotta move_!

Ducking from under the table, Rock sprang out from behind it, destroying the immediate Met in front of him, and jumped over the lunch line counter.

A Met was hardly 5 feet away standing on the counter.

PEW!

Rock side-stepped and fired at it, turning it into a millions pieces.

2 down, 10 to go.

The Mets were still relentless. One fired a blast aiming right for the part of the lunch line where Rock was hiding...

BOOM!

The blast knocked Rock backward to the wall.

Stunned, Rock tried to regain his senses. _Gotta-Gotta..._

_I gotta get outta here_.

He noticed that some of the Mets were closing in. It was too many to fight with and they were placed around the room mathematically perfect. He would get maimed in crossfire. And with the newly-created hole, the bullets were getting a little too close to home...

Rock looked around. There had to be SOME way to escape!

_THE DOORS!_

Turning for the door on his left, Rock griped the handle and swung it out.

PEW! The Met awaiting him fired...

at no one there.

WEEP! WEEP!

Rock shot out from the side and blasted the Met.

PEW! PEW!

Ducking from the Met bullets behind him, Rock ran past the door and closed it shut. _I hope they don't have a pursuit function! _He breathed a sigh of relief as the blasts came to a end. He slowed down to take a breather and find out where he was.

He was in a thin white hall. He checked his time again. 1:47:23 _I got time._ He thought, coming to a walk.

_ Rush, how's things coming on your end._

_Woof! Woof!_

_THAT many already? Great. I'm about to leave the first building, meet up with me in the second building once your done._

_Woof!_

Rock came to another door, this door led across the buildings. _Well, lucky me._

As Rock went outside, he could hear the icy howl of the Siberia all around him. A strange calm passed over Rock. _I guess I'll take anything over fighting Mets. But...why weren't none here? Isn't the goal to lure me, wear me down and then hunt me down and finish me?_

_Oh well, take what your enemy gives you. _He thought as he entered the second building.

There was no one there.

Broken assembly lines shot out sparks and leaked oil. Overturned scraps of burned tables and boxes littered the floors. As Rock walked across he room, he detected small traces of blood. Burned holes decorated the walls.

_Humans were here...but I don't see any bod-_

_CRRRSSSNK!_

Rock found himself stepping in remains...

of a Met.

_Wait, they actually destroyed Mets?_

Rock looked around. Quite a few Mets had been wasted.

He just stood there for a moment, not only just to scan the whole room, but to take it all in. Imagining the battles that might have happens here. What trick or what equipment the humans must have used.

The humans... that were still in the area and could be potentially fighting a Robot Master.

Tracing footsteps led Rock through a corridor. As he tracked and tracked, the distant sound of a firefight got closer and closer...

And he came into a hall, he found himself instantly looking down the barrel of guns. On pure instinct alone, Rock raised his buster to meet them.

A squad of soldiers clad in black were holding him at gunpoint, while explosion still rang out in the next room. Rock recognized the uniform. Alpha Group, Russia's elite special forces.

After a minute of tense standoff, the soldiers lowered their guns, and he lowered his buster.

He noticed that the guns were..._different. The shape and form of them are totally different from anything I have ever seen. _He couldn't identify them in any firearm database around the world. Before he could internally scan them, one of the soldiers spoke.

"Приветствия, Mega ручн. Как представляется, мы общий враг!" (Salutations, Mega Man. It seems we have a common enemy!)

Rock was still curious about the guns. "На прошлой неделе эти пушки у вас существуют? Я посмотрел, что вы сделали для других Метс" обратно, я впечатлен тем! (What the hell are those guns you have there? I saw what you did to the other Mets back there, I'm impressed!)

"Это прототип лазерного оружия. Они fire пучков интенсивных лазерных лучей непосредственно на ваших указывает на. Они требуют времени, чтобы быть охлажден, или они являются причиной огромных взрывов. Мы прошли обучение по пожарной их в кривых, которые постоянно огонь. Ее опасных, как ада для использования этих вещей, но его как в прошлом месяце звездные войны!" ("These are prototype laser rifles. They fire beams of intense laser light directly at what your pointing at. They require time to be cooled down, or they cause huge explosions. We have been trained to fire them in waves to have constant fire. Its dangerous as hell to use these things, but its like being in fucking Star Wars!")

The solder grinned, he was really loving his life or death struggle. "Мы были в выход из тупика, но мало shits у нас на канаты." "Right now were in a deadlock, but the little shits got us on the ropes."

Rock couldn't believe it So_ they're using lasers now? What that guy from the US military said was true, they ARE making bigger weapons_! Rock felt a renewed sense of urgency. As another wave of several soldiers re-entered the hallway, one holding his shoulder, the team already there began to prepare to go out again and fight.

They saw Mega Man rush forward without them.


	25. Presence of Mind and Time

VVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The airplane was the biggest sound the heard, and the only one Alia wanted to here for awhile.

The plane was full of the regular about 30 people who worked in Repliforce and lived in her region.

And two extras.

After this morning, she had absolutely nothing to say to Drew or Ace, and just dreaded to speak to them again at the base.

Thank God that she have a really high-up position in Repliforce, or she wouldn't have had her own little room in the plane.

She had to eat breakfst, that always took her mind off of stuff.

Just OMM! thinking about "NOM!" those two OMMMNOM! made her "GARMB" "SLLLLLUUURP! GURGLE!" scraf down "NOMMMM!" her box of don- "GARB" uts and coffee "GURGLE! GURGLE!" faster than usual.

But then, when got to thinking about Axl, the fight they had after Drew left.

_"Mom I read this thing! How many times have you fucked this guy in the past month?!"_

_"First of all, don't use that language with me, second of all, that was a long time ago, third of all, my personal life is none of your business!"_

_"I'm your son, I'm supposed to BE your personal life! If you said you were feeling lonely and TOLD ME you wanting to start dating again, I could get that. But you go behind my back just to suck some guys off, and you got back together with your ex-husband?"_

_"Ex-FIANCEE, and-"_

_"It doesn't fucking matter! You've been abandoning me for the last month, just so you could fuck with white Lebron and whoever the fuck else! You don't even call! ITS LIKE YOU DONT CARE ABOUT ME ANYMORE!" Axl was just about to break down, tears streaming down his enraged face._

_"AXL! FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I HAVE NOT FUCKED ANYONE IN THE PAST MONTH! AND NOW, YOUR GROUNDED! GO TO YOUR ROOM!"_

_"NO! I'M NOT GOING TO GO TO MY ROOM! I WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHAT YOUR HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST MONTH! WHAT CASE IS IT NOW? AND BY THE WAY, WHY CAN'T YOU WORK FROM HOME? WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?" _

_"I'M YOUR MOTHER, AND YOUR GOING TO DO WHAT I SAY!"_

_"ANSWER ME BITCH!"_

_RRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG! _

_Alia snatched it up. It was Repliforce. disguised as a law firm that was part of their workers' cover. "WHAT?" She yelled into the phone._

_"Is-Is-Is this a bad time?" Sigma answered, quite frightened. _

_"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK?" _

_"K I'll make this short. A Robot Master is attacking in Russia. Get to the plane now. Seeya." CLICK!_

_Alia just stared at phone for a second. "Perfect timing Sigma, you son of a bitch." At least now she had an excuse to leave the house..._

_She wend to to the drawer for her keys. "I'm leaving Axl."_

_Axl would have none of it. "DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN! I WANT ANSWERS! WHO THE HELL IS SIGMA? IS THAT SOME KIND OF CODE FOR THE DUDE YOUR GOING TO WHORE OFF TO TODAY?" _

_She turned for the door. "This conversation is over. I'll see you tonight or tomorrow. She opened the door..._

_Axl wouldn't have it. "YOUR NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" He grabbed her arm. "YOUR GOING TO STAY AND TELL ME-"_

_She snapped._

_SMACK!_

_Axl slumped to the floor, completely out._

_She stared at his body, hand over her mouth, shocked at when she had just done. She had never hit Axl in her life._

_"OhmyGod Axl I'm so sorry..." She said, checking on him to see if she had left a bruise. The self-defense training Repliforce gave did pay off, but this is NOT how she expected it too._

_But still, part of her felt..._

_rather satisfied with herself that she had shut Axl up._

_He did deserve it. She thought. Being so disrespectful, and had no idea what he was talking about._

_Still._

_She sighed, putting his head on her knees. I understand why your angry Axl. Work has picked up exponentially, I haven't been around, and Drew being here does look bad._

_I wish I could tell you why but..._

_She picked him up, carrying him upstairs to his room, which was no easy task. Alia was 5'9, 150lb. Axl was 6 foot, 200lb. She found herself grunting to do it._

_But she did it, tucking him back into bed, and kissed his forehead. She stared at her son, combing her fingers trough his wild auburn hair. "I love you Axl." she whispered into his ear._

_As she walked back downstairs she thought about her future._

_Maybe after this Robot Master Episode, I'll quit Repliforce, and do something else. Or just retire altogether. She checked her watch. _

_"Damnit, I could be running late..." She said, picking up her pace._

_As she started her car, she took one last look at her house. It'll be okay Axl, I promise everything will work itself out in the end..._

"Alia?" A voiced interrupted her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Alia just realized that she was crying in an empty doughnut box. She looked up at who is was.

It was that Ace guy. the guy that was with Drew this morning.

Drew...

DREW!

CRRRNK!

"GGG,CHH-RURA,ALGCAT" Ace said, finding it very hard to talk with Alia's hands around his throat.

"Where"

"is"

"Drew?" She whispered.

_So this is why Drew sent me to go talk to her. _Ace thought. _Well played you son of a bitch._

The door opened, an Drew came through.

"There you are!" She said, facing him. She had already used her self-defense training once today, lets see if she can do it twice!

"Now Alia, I want you to know that I am terribly sorry..."

"Thanks to you, my son thinks I'm a whore! You've came back into my life, and you've already ruined it. Are you happy with yourself?" She was livid. How dare this ghost of her past come between her and her son.

"I didn't know you had a kid Alia..."

"Well news flash Drew, SOME of us have actually moved on from 10 years ago!"

"I've tried to move on, that's why I've gotten out of my house and back here-"

"Trying to reconcile with your ex-fiance with the same old tricks you used back then isn't moving on Drew! Its been 10 years. Lots of things have changed, lets count them!"

She held up her fingers. "Your brother: DEAD! Your Sister: DEAD! Your Nephew: DEAD! Our relationship: DEAD! Its all in the past! Let's just focus on the present!"

She turned her head away from him "You know what? I can't even stand to look at you right now. Just get out!"

"Alia-" Drew was at a loss for words...

"GET THE HELL OUT!" She screamed.

Without a word, Drew turned for the door, and closed it shut.

Alia just fell on her bed, seething.

After a few minutes, she sat back up, cooled off. _That felt sooooo good to get out._ She thought, looking out the window. The sky was beautiful. Maybe it would turn out to be a good day after all. She could take care of business at work, and then fly back and take care of Axl...

"You know, even though I don't agree with what Drew did at your house, what you just said to him...

that shit was fucked up."


	26. Backstories and Advertising

Alia turned around, completely surprised at what she just heard. _Didn't Drew leave.._.

It was Ace, she kind of forgot about him when Drew came.

Still, he said _she _was in the wrong?

She could feel her blood pressure rising again "Oh, I was? How can you tell ME? You've know Drew for like what, a month? I've known him for YEARS?"

Ace admitted that. "True, true. But is seems to me,

that a man that tries to hard to go back in the past,

doesn't have a future worth looking at.

And with the way you described it,

I can see why his life was in a bum state."

Alia tried that counter that. "He could still...

I know that...

Even though...

ugh..."

She fell on the bed. "Your right, I went too far."

Ace sat on the bed. "Tell me how right I am. I could stand to know a little bit more about Drew."

"Well, the thing is, Drew grew up in the military. His father was a general in the Vietnam War, and Drew idolized him for that. All Drew ever wanted to do was be a heroic soldier, and make his father proud. When his father became active in Repliforce, Drew was determined to make it here." Alia chuckled. "You should have been here during the 90s, he tore the world up."

"But what about you and him? What happened to end your relationship?"

Alia's face dropped. "Well, after one of his best friends had a tragedy, his sister and his brother died, and Colonel was just so lost and dead inside. His sister was my best friend, and I needed someone to...comfort me. Drew became so distant..."

"And?"

"And... one of my longtime friends was there for me when Drew wasn't. And then he asked me out...one thing led to another...then Drew and I had a fight. We called off our engagement, and we went our separate ways."

Alia stood up, rushing for the door. "I got to go talk to Drew."

She found him outside, looking down at the floor. "Listen Drew, I'm sorry for what I said, I went overboard."

"Its not like what you said was wrong..." Drew replied.

Alia sat down next to him. "You asked about my son earlier."

"Yeah, he-he isn't Gate's, right?"

"No. Gate and I broke up years ago.

My son's name is Axl. He's adopted."

"I noticed that scar on his head, what was that all about?" Drew asked.

Alia...choked up. "Axl came from... an abusive home. His father left that scar there. I adopted him 6 years ago when he was 8, and I've nurtured him by myself ever since. He plays football now in high school. I have pictures."

While she was digging through her purse, Drew's mind was still on that scar. _How fitting,_

_that that scar came from child abuse, and was shaped like an X..._

But his mind got back to what Alia was saying. "He is a WR on his JV team. He's really good."

"Oh, that's great for him. Listen, Alia...

even if were aren't getting back together, can we at least,

be friends?"

Alia look at Drew. "Well with Axl and this morning, its going to be pretty hard. But... maybe we can make it work."

WE WILL BE LANDING IN 10 MINUTES.

Alia sat back in her chair. "But for right now, let's just take care of the task at hand,

and we'll see where our relationship goes...

* * *

**AN: THAT CONCLUDES THIS SHORTER CHAPTER! I JUST HAVE A FEW THINGS TO SAY:**

**I made a new friend: **IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8 **and he has a Mega Man story of his own he is working on. You can find them in the community that I made!**

**Its called Library of Mega Man / Rockman **

**if you want to add to the library or have any questions, just shoot me a PM!**

**So now, back to Rock in Russia...**


	27. Guts and Glory

After freeing the last few humans in the first building, Rush was ready to cross over. Coming onto a bridge, he found a few Mets blocking his path.

He got out his laser cannon, ready to repeat the same steps he just did dozens of times. _GGRRRRR..._

Suddenly, little jet packs started to jut out from the Met's sides.

_Roo?_

And then they flew into the air, and then started to pelt Rush with bullets.

_WELL _

_THIS_

_IS_

_NEW_

He thought, dodging from the bullets and darting.

ZAAAAAAAAP!

ZAAAAAAAAP!

ZAAAAAAAAP!

Rush tried to fight back with his cannon,

but the little Mets were way to small and fast to be hit by those.

PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

Those blasts just kept COMING!

Rush found himself scrambling back to the door.

They swooped in low to follow in, grouping themselves closer,

closer,

closer...

perfect.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!

Rush let out a ferocious Sonic Bark, which knocked the Mets back all the way to the wall on the other building.

_CRRRSSH! CRLSCK! BOOOM! _They exploded into burning metal chunks.

_I wonder if Rock has met these flying Mets yet._ Rush said, as he walked across the cleared bridge.

* * *

As he traced Rock's signal, Rush came into a room...

_OH MY GOSH ROCK!_

His robotic human companion was lying on the floor. A few black burn marks dotted his chest. Metal scraps and Met helmets were everywhere.

Rush turn Rock over. _ROCK! SPEAK TO ME!_

"...Ughhhhhh,

hey,

boy..."

_ROCK! YOUR'RE OKAY! YOUR'RE OKAY!_

_"_Yeah. But,

oh man,

that took some doing.

Did you know these little shits can fly now?"

Rush smirked. _Yeah, I was hoping to tell you that before you learned the hard way. _

Rock got up to his feet, as Rush noticed the black soldiers that were pouring into the room. He bared his fangs...

"Chill Rush, they're here to help." Looking back, he hollered, "Имеется ли какой-либо способ добраться в третьем здании?" (Is there any way to get around the third building?)

"В крышку люка на эту дверь слева." (There is a manhole cover on that door to your left.)

Rock gave a Russian salute, to which the soldiers responded heartily.

As Rock walked past the door, he came to the manhole cover and blasted it open.

As Rock descended, Rush checked world headlines.

INTERNATIONAL AIRCRAFT ENGAGING IN COMBAT WITH ROBOT MASTERS

_WOOF! WOOF!_

_"_WHAT DID YOU SAY RUSH?" Rock yelled from below.

_WOOF WOOF!_

"THEY'RE FIGHTING THE MASTERS IN THE SKIES? WHERE?"

_WOOF! _

_"_K SO THEY'RE IN JAPAN, WE STILL GOT TIME! COME ON DOWN BOY!"

Rush leapt down into into the dark sewer. They both turned infrared vision.

"Guts Man is this way." Rock pointed. "Say Rush,

did you ever find Cossack? It turns out he is one of the lead researchers here."

"_Woof!_"

"Didn't think so, Rush, check your stealth mode. How much time do you have on it?"

"_Woof!_"

"Good enough, so here's the plan...

* * *

After sneaking past the third building, Rock climbed back up, bracing himself for his fight with Guts Man. He could sense the Robot Masters' presence and power.

Walking out of the small closet like room, Rock came into a HUGE area.

All you could see was the white of the walls, and several doors.

Rock just knew he was in for it.

"GUTS MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Rock yelled. "I KNOW YOUR AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE, COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!"

A side door opened, and there he was, walking in quite calmly.

_Holy crap._ Rock thought, he knew that Guts Man was huge, but looking at him just reminded Rock just how TOWERING the dude was.

"Mega Man," he started. "How nice of you to clock in."

"Where's Cossack?'

"Where's who?" Guts Man said, playing dumb.

"COSSACK! WHERE IS HE?"

"OOOOOOOHHH Now I remember, bring him out Mets!"

Another door opened behind Guts Man, as Mets brought out a captive. He was tall and thin, wearing a lab coat with a green tie. It was Dr. Cossack. And oh, looks like he had been worked over quite a bit. A red streak was painted into the side of his head, and the blood has soaked into his facial hair. His glasses were missing a monocle, and he could barely stand as the party moved out to the open.

"Mr. Cossack, are you all right?" Rock said in alarm, fearing quite much for the poor doctors health.

The doctor chuckled, and spat out blood on the ground. "I've taken worser beatings in grade school. Just get rid of these hunks of junk and I'll be fine."

"Oh, still a wise guy are we?"

TCHOOONGK! Guts Man punched Cossack square in the ribs. Cossack flew backwards, skipping across the floor.

"COSSACK!" Rock rushed forward, but Guts Man turned his attention back to Rock.

"That is just a FRACTION, of what I felt when I heard what you did to my brother. And for that-"

Guts Man started to roar. "FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE, YOU DIE MEGA MAN!"


	28. Guts Man the Idiot

Even though Rock was afraid of the colossus standing before him, he remained calm. When he fought Bomb Man, all he really had to do was dodge the bombs and blast him away. Guts Man was huge, but he probably didn't have a ranged attack. Rock could beat him if he just stayed at a distanced and through that thick armor and tear him apart.

"You? Kill me?" Rock tried to laugh it off, comforting himself with the knowledge that as long as the other Masters weren't here, he was fine. he was on the clock, but for now, he was fine. "What could you possibly do to hurt me? You're not fast enough in the slightest!"

Guts Man responded with... laughter of his own?"EHEEEHHEEEEHEHEEHHEHEHEHEHEHAAHHAHHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!" His laughed bounced off the wall, so repeatedly as the echo began to morph into an insane cackle, throwing Rock off quite a bit.

_I think I'm in for a doozy of a time. _Rock set his feet, ready for anything.

"IS THAT ALL THAT YOU THINK I AM? A BIG, STUPID, RECKLESS MECHANICAL MACHINE? " Guts yelled.

"Yes..." Rock said with more weakness in his voice than what he wanted.

"WELL HAVE I GOT A SURPRISE FOR YOU! HOW ABOUT I GIVE YOU THE WORKS!?" With a maniacal grin, Guts Man bent down and flattened his palm against the ground.

"Why are you getting in the 4-point stance?"

"You can attack me and find out." Guts Man responded.

Rock thought about it. _I am not walking into that trap, but I don't think he is going to make his move until I come at him. I gotta find a way to attack but stay safe... __what was that?_

_SHLUCK!_

Rock focused on Guts Man. The Robot Master was still in the same position. Focused, but not straining on whatever he was doing.

_Okay I know I am hearing something, is that Rush? That's not Cossack convulsing and dying, is it?_

_SHLUCK!_

_WHATEVER IT IS, I KNOW ITS NOT GOOD!_

He was looking far back to see if maybe Guts Man had laced the room with hidden Mets or some other trap.

_No, lets get back to the main attraction. _

As soon as Mega Man turned back to Guts Man, his heart stopped. _Holy.._

Guts Man had swollen up. No, Guts Man had SWOLLEN UP!

Every bit of his body had been puffed up like a balloon. His frame seemed to be bursting at the seams. His muscular, tight chest had given way to a massive belly, like he was expecting to give birth any day now.

_HOW THE HELL DID HE GO FROM WILYSTEIN'S ROBOT TO BOMB MAN 10.0? WHAT DID THAT SUCKING SOUND HAVE TO DO WITH IT?_

_Wait... _Rock recalled what information on Guts Man he did have. _Guts Man was originally designed for land reclamation and construction.__ Guts Man getting bigger, __land reclamation and construction..._

Rock took a step back and wobbled for a second. _What the- _The once even floor had become ever so slightly sloped, becoming more noticeable with every inch towards the Robot Master.

_So his power is... his power is..._

_"_THAT'S RIGHT MEGA BRAT!" Guts Man yelled, feel ever so satisfied at his look of shock and terror. "I CAN ABSORB MATERIALS IN THE GROUND!"

He stood back up, looking like a giant. His hands left distinct craters in the ground.

Still, Rock noticed how slow he was and how he wobbled bit getting up. _An even slower target. Nothing to worry about Rock. Calm down Rock. Calm down Rock. You can use this to your advantage._

"BUT LOOK!" Guts Man wasn't finished. "HERE'S ANOTHER TRICK! I'M A STRAIGHT UP ARCHITECT!" He shot up his hands.

Out of those massive hands came.. blocks. Huge metal blocks.

_SO HE HAS A RANGED ATTACK AFTER ALL?_

"THIS IS MY TRUE POWER MEGA MAN! THESE ARE MY SUPER ARMS! AND THESE BLOCKS ARE CALLED GUTS BLOCKS!"

Guts Man heaved them both at Rock.

Despite their size, Guts Man's strength made them tear through the air.

_OH GOD!_

Rock slid under the Guts Blocks, firing his Mega buster. _HE'S EXPOSED! I CAN HIT HIM!_ WHEEP! WHEEP! WHEEP!

Guts Man put his hands together. Another Guts Block came forming out. Guts Man braced himself.

POOMP! POOMP! POOMP!

The Guts Block held! He was barely hurt at all.

"WHAT?" Rock was surprised. The Guts Blocks could be used for defense too?

A duo of crunches emitted behind Rock. The two Guts Blocks had broken into chunks. And they bounced back right at Rock's vicinity.

WHOOSH! Guts Man threw the remaining portions of his Block Shield right at Rock, putting him in the crossfire.

WHEEP! WHEEP! WHEEP! Rock had to blast and weave his way out of harm.

WHHAPP! A chunk clocked Rock on the elbow. "GAH!" He felt to a knee. _MY GOD THAT HURT! IT'S LIKE A HUGE WASP STING! _

Two arms swallowed Rock whole. Guts Man looked down on Mega Man with a menacing grin. _OH SWEET MERCIFUL JESUS NO! _ Rock thought to himself. He tried to wiggle out, but Guts Man's grip and strength resulted in barely moving at Man rose slowly in the air. Rising to the ceiling, for Rock, it felt like a million miles to the floor Man turned upside down.

"THIS IS THE END FOR FOR YOU, MEGA MAN!"

Turning on his jets, Guts man skyrocketed down, down, down, down...

_This is gonna hurt..._

WWWWWWDOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMPPPPPPPPPP!

They fell through the first floor.

WWWWWWDOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMPPPPPPPPPP!

They fell through the second floor.

WWWWWDOOOOMMPPPP! SSCCRRSRCKRRUUUUUMKK!

They hit the ground floor and went through several feet of dirt before finally coming to a stop...

A huge hand climbed out of the crater. Guts Man stood up, reveling in his destruction. He turned back to Mega Man. His head was planted in the ground. With one hand, Guts Man pulled him out of the ground. His helmet was littered with cracks."You still got anything to say, Mega Punk?"

"..." Mega Man had his eyes closed, completely unconscious.

"That's what I thought." Guts Man tossed Mega Man away."Now, to finish you off."

Guts Man put his hands into the ground. Absorbing more metal for his blocks, Guts Man was preparing his final blow: to crush Mega Man with a huge block.

_WHOOOOMP!_

_"... W_at?" Guts man looked up, something was going on up there.

_WHOOOOMP! __WHOOOOMP!_

His Mets were being destroyed! Flying back up, Guts Man, found that not only had his Mets been destroyed, but that damn dog was getting away with Cossack! "YOU STAY PUT MUTT!" Guts Man roared. "I'LL DEAL WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

WOOOSH! WOOOSH!

Guts Man fired his metal blocks.

BOOOM! BOOOM!

They were obliterated! It was the dog's laser cannon! _I guess it is stronger than Mega Man's pea shooter after all._

Rush put Cossack over his back, blasted a door open and started running away. Guts Man turned on his jets. With that dog having to be careful with Cossack in his condition, no way they could escape him. _It's time they learn that Guts Man can get a job done faster than they think!_

Guts Man chased after Rush relentlessly. Through the halls and doors of the Man felt proud of himself keeping pace with the dog. _Its probably because of Cossack, but who cares! It shouldn't be long now..._

Despite Rush's efforts, Guts Man was gaining on him! Getting closer, closer, closer, closer, closer...

Guts Man jumped in the hit the ground with a THUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDD! The vibration rock the area. Rush sprawled over, also dumping Cossack.

"GOT YOU NOW SCOOBY!"

Guts Man grabbed Rush by the tail and started whipping him around like it was a hammer-throw competition. Releasing him, he watched Rush sail into the wall. PAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGG! Rush crumbled down against the wall, barely able to continue functioning.

_Now to put you down for good!_

Guts Man put his hands to the ground again for more blocks felt himself get bigger, and BIGGER, he had done all by himself what it took the whole Robot Master team to do, take down Mega Man and was Guts Man the powerful. Guts Man the warrior. Guts Man the mighty. Guts Man the MAN THE INVINCIBLE!GUTS MAN THE -

"HEY UGLY!"

Guts Man swung his head around. It was Mega Man, completely fired back up from seeing what happened to Rush. "NEVER HURT MY DOG EVER AGAIN!"


	29. Gut The Prey

Guts Man's prone body had to take each and every single hit. Getting knocked down, Guts Man tried to get back up- THWACK! A rocket-powered kick right in his jaw.

Mega Man immediately ran backward and started firing his Buster from a distance. WHEEP! WHEEP! WHEEP! Guts Man tried to pursue Mega Man, but Mega Man kept peppering Guts Man with his Buster, using his speed and fast shooting weapon to his advantage.. _If I keep him off his feet, I'll have a chance!_

Despite his Buster working and putting dents in Guts Man, Guts Man was still getting back up to two knees! Mega Man charged forward again. _Stay down!_

Guts Man saw Mega Man coming this time and shot out his hand to grab him. Mega Man jumped back and gave Guts Man the time he needed.

Getting to his feet, Guts Man roared in anger. "YOUR NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO DEFEAT ME! YOUR LACK OF POWER WILL BE YOUR DOWNFALL!"

Mega Man paused for a second. He knew he had Guts Man beat as long as he attacked from a distance and pushed the pace. Guts Man couldn't possibly do anything about it... right?

Guts Man jumped into the air. Mega Man turned on his rockets and flew into the air. It was useless to try to stay on the ground, but maybe it would be safer to get into the air.

THHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

Despite still being rattled in the air from the vibrations, Mega Man found it easier to recover, and he quickly balanced enough again to aim several shots.

WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! Each blast his Guts Man square in the chest, and the huge Robot Master fell back into the wall.

_I've got him reeling._ Mega Man said. _Wait, what's he doing?_

Sucking up the buildings metal with one hand, Guts Man shot out rounds of Guts Block with the other, each one stopping Mega Man's bullets.

Mega Man knew his Buster was faster. He ran forward firing, knowing Guts Man couldn't block them all if he blitzed.

WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP!

Guts Man turned on his rockets, and flew against around the room along the wall, still firing Guts Blocks. SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! Everytime Mega Man tried to get close, the Guts Block held him back just enough to keep a safe distance.

_Let's try something different. _Mega Man fired in the middle of the Guts Block, blasting a hole in the center.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Mega Man exploded through the Guts Block and tried to tackle Guts Man into the wall. PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

Guts Man was smacked into the wall but immediately bounced off. Mega Man got off him just in time as Guts Man fell to the ground. _Ugh, almost got squished there, now I have to finish him._

Swooping down, Mega Man flew behind Guts Man and blasted him point-blank.

WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP!WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP! WHEEEP!

After making gash after gash in Guts Man, Mega Man jumped back, trying not to get greedy and make a mistake. Guts Man looked done. Maybe he would...give up.

"This fight is over Guts Man! You can't win this! Please, stop fighting. I didn't come for you, I came for Cossack! I can get your repaired! Just come back to the States with me and I promise, Dr. will repair you and make you even better! We don't have to do this anymore."

Guts Man was stunned. This robot, his enemy, was giving him pity? A chance to surrender? To join him? How... dare... he... Did he REALLY expect for Guts Man to surrender to the murderer of his brother? To BETRAY the family he had left? He would never accept an ounce of pity from this pathetic blue scrap heap as long as his circuits were running!

"Never..." Guts Man started slowly crawling back to his feet, never taking his hands off of the ground "as long as I function... will I EVER join forces with you! You have taken from me something I can never get back, YOU TOOK MY BROTHERS LIFE!"

"NO Guts Man, you don't understand! He's not completely gone! There is a way to rebuild him! Bring him back-"

"LIES!"

Guts Man hurdled another Guts Block at him. Mega Man sidestepped, but before he fired his bust, he realized Guts Man was...changing?

_ What now? Wait.._

On Guts Man's body, the holes, cracks, cuts, dents, and chips were being filled with Guts Block.

_HE CAN HEAL HIMSELF TOO?_

"This Guts Block armor may be cut-rate, but it'll be good enough to get the job done!" Guts Man said.

_Great, _Mega Man thought. _So even when I do get my shots in, he'll just become The Thing? _

Guts Man threw more Guts Blocks. Even though Mega Man dodged each one, he was barely firing his Buster, he knew it wouldn't help him. Even when he was hit, Guts Man simply absorbed more metal, so there was no particular weak point for him to aim at. Mega Man knew he was slowly starting to lose. Even if his shots put Guts Man down, what could KEEP him down? And with the others Masters coming, he didn't have all day.

_Maybe I should just get Cossack and get out of here with my gears intact. Nothing I have can blow him away... __blow him away...__wait, __THAT'S IT! __BOMB MAN! __THE HYPER BOMBS! __I'VE STILL GOT THOSE! __ACTIVATE HYPER BOMB ABILITY!_

Mega Man felt his body start to change. His Buster started to de-energize and shrink back, and his internal system began creating explosives-

SMAAACK!

Distracted and slowed down by his transformation, Mega Man let a Guts Block hit him! Sailing back, Mega Man was crushed between the Guts Block and a wall.

CRUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNCHHHHHHHHH!

_Now I know __what jelly and peanut butter feel like mashed together. __That's probably what my systems look like right about now..._

Guts Man saw his chance. _TIME TO SMASH YOU INTO A MILLION PIECES!_

Turning on his jets, Guts Man made a beeline straight for Mega Man!

CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!

Guts Man drove right through the wall, taking Mega Man with him and sending the blue bot flying sky-high. Bursting into the top of a shipping area, Guts Man caught Mega Man in mid-air and hurled him away down into the facilities below.

CRRSSSSHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKKK! THUUUUUUND!

Mega Man crashed through the windows of a forklift. The forklift overturned, and Mega Man had his legs pinned under the truck!

WARING! CRITICAL DAMAGE! TEMPORARY REPAIRS IMMINENT!

_COME ON!_ _TELL ME I AM STILL GOING BOMB MODE!_

_Hyper Bomb ability: 85%..._

_NO! I WON"T LOSE NOW! COME ON BODY WORK!_

_Hyper Bomb Ability: 86%..._

_STOP ALL POWER GOING TO REPAIRS! CONTINUE ACTIVATING HYPER BOMB ABILITY!_

_Hyper Bomb Ability: 87%..._

_STOP ALL POWER GOING TO ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS! CONTINUE ACTIVATING HYPER BOMB ABILITY!_

_Hyper Bomb Ability: 88%..._

Guts Man hesitated for a few moments. Looking around, he wanted to make sure that this wasn't a trap. That annoying dog was about to come out of nowhere and attack him. Or any other tricks Mega Man might pull. He knew victory was close, that there is no way Mega Man could be in any shape to continue fighting after his Guts Rush.

Seeing nothing that would impede him, Guts Man took a step... and nothing took another one, and nothing happened. He jumped off, and down to the floor of the shipping area, and nothing slowly walked over to Mega Man,and nothing happened. Getting to the forklift, Guts Man picked it up with one hand and tossed it aside, revealing Mega Man...and nothing happened. The Blue Bomber was crippled, ready to be finished off.


	30. Overload

He was he was laid out on the floor. Not moving at all. Not even reacting to Guts Man's presence.

Guts Man scanned him. Most of his functions were deactivated. Except one, which he couldn't fully see because of interference,

but he could make out something with a bomb...

_SELF-DESTRUCTION? _Guts Man jumped back. Was Mega Man really prepare to kill himself just to get him? There only seemed to be one Mega Man to blow himself up, it seems kind of pointless thinking about the other 4 robot Masters.

And that was a really long countdown sequence... and Mega Man wasn't trying to pop up and grab him...

Maybe it wasn't a bomb, maybe he was just thinking of Bomb Man,

and how close we was to vengeance!

"Yeah, that's it! Time to finish you off, Mega Man!"

_But how to finish him off? I'm only going to get one chance, better make the most of it. _

An idea sparked in Guts Man's head. _I'll hit him with an elbow drop! _

He started rising in the air.

_S__ometimes, you've just got to do what ain't in the blueprints!"_

Getting all to the ceiling hiiiiiiiigh above, Guts Man whipped out his elbow. _OH YEAH!_

Turning, upside down, Guts Man turned on his jets,

and was ready to obliterate the prone Mega Man!

_THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!_

Activating his jets, Guts Man plummeted straight down,

down,

down,

down,

right for Rock!

_DIE MEGA MAN!_

Suddenly below him, Mega Man cam back form the dead.

He chucked some kind of round object at him...

a bomb.

It was a bomb,

IT LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE ONE OF BOMB MAN'S BOMBS!

THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

HE HAD TO DODGE IT!

IT WAS COMING IN TOO CLOSE!

THE BOMB HIT HIM RIGHT ON THE TIP OF THE ELBOW

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

* * *

...

Too,

fucking,

close.

Rock barely had enough time to load the Hyper Bombs up, then he had to restore function to his body to throw it, THEN for it to. Guts Man was barley 50 feet above when he threw it.

He crawled to his feet. Guts Man laid only yards away.

_Goodbye Guts Man, sorry it had to end this way..._

Rock summoned another Bomb.

Throwing it at Guts Man, rock waited for the explosion.

it never came.

_Where's the BOOM__?_

_Wait, where's the BOMB?_

Rock realized that he hadn't thrown anything at all.

_Well I can't be out... said I should have 10 of these!_

HYPER BOMB ABILITY INACTIVE DUE TO MAJOR DAMAGE

_Okay then, time to switch back to my buster._

CANNON INACTIVE DUE TO MAJOR DAMAGE

_Okay...ummmm,_

_my rockets! I'll burn him!_

ROCKETS INACTIVE DUE TO MAJOR DAMAGE

_WHAT THE HELL CAN I STILL DO?_

REMAINING FUNCTIONS IN OPERATION: USAGE OF THOUGHT, USAGE OF ALL FOUR LIMBS

_DAMNIT! _

Rock turned back to his foe.

_Well, at least he's still down. Hopefully he's dead, or has a hole big enough as to where I can drive some metal into it..._

Guts Man's upper left side, from his pectoral up to his head was obliterated of its armor.

He looked like a huge animatronic without its outer design.

A thick layer of wires and gears were all that remained.

_Just like Bomb Man, it shouldn't take much to finish him off..._

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

_wait... _

_what was that?_

Guts Man was doing something with his face...

A kind of virtual web of Guts Man's normal features was being established on his head.

SHOOOOOOOOP!

That virtual web became,

a metallic frame...

_Oh no..._

Metallic block was starting to slither in a cover up the machinery underneath.

_OKAY TIME TO GO!_

Rock sprinted out of the shipping area, blowing past the doors that led out.

_RUSH COME IN! WHERE ARE YOU BOY I NEED SOME HELP!_

_RUSH!_

COMMUNICATIONS INACTIVE DUE TO MAJOR DAMAGE!

_GODDAMN IT! NOOOOO!_

Not paying attention, TWOOOCK! Rock tripped over a shattered Met helmet.

THKSSSSHHH! Rock skidded across the floor.

"uggg...ahhh...gah...uhh"

He found himself in front of a mirror.

That's when he noticed a change.

_What happened to my suit._

It wasn't blue anymore. His chest and shoulders and thighs were colored white. His feet, hands and waist were green.

Or at least what was left of him.

The square plate on his helmet was smashed to pieces. His helmet alone was barley still on his head. Clumps of Rock's hair was writhing out.

_Why green? It could be because I'm using the Hyper Bomb, but Bomb Man is as green as the San Francisco 49ers- _

Oh God.

It was him.

Rock saw his reflection in the mirror.

Guts Man had used to time Rock was playing Barbie to catch up.

_Oh fuck me.._. Rock thought, slowly swinging his head around.

Rock noticed something that made his heart stop.

While Guts Man upper body had been severely damaged, his legs looked just fine.

_OH FUCK ME!_

Guts Man's head was entirely block now. His eyes were just empty hole that still somehow managed to center directly into Rock's soul.

It wasn't an empty abyss stare. It was the _I'm going to slaughter you in the most horrid ways physically possible _look.

As utterly terrified as Rock was, he make a joke.

"Wow, you really DO look like the Thing!" He said, laughing out loud.

_Rock what the ha! hell is wrong with you? First you hehehehehe! stand there and waste valuable escape ahoahooahaoh time! looking at yourself! Waste time and make_

_him even more angry teeehahahahahahhhaha! 11/10 brilliance Rock! hahahahahahhah_

_oh,_

_I'm going to die so fucking hard._

Guts Man opened his mouth. "I will make the depths of hell utopia compared to what I do to you. I will tear you cell from cell. You will die in the utmost horrible and unspeakable ways by my vengeful driven hand and my vengeful driven hand ALONE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"...

What? what was that?"

Guts Man was taken aback. That this robot had the AUDACITY to play games with him.

"I SAID, U RUSTED PIECE OF SCRAP-"

_Ummmm, what he doing?_

Guts Man was moving his mouth up and down like he was yelling. But nothing was coming out.

Rock motioned his ear toward Guts Man. "Could you say that a bit louder love? This time with some actual voice and sound."

"I AM USING SOUND! HOW CAN YOU NOT HEAR ME? I'M YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY DAMN LUNGS!"

It had just occurred to Guts Man that despite his yelling, not a single thing IN the room was even remotely shaking.

_WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY VOICE EQUIPMENT?_

_MY VOICE EQUIPMENT!_

Had been another casualty of the blast.

_I-I CAN'T SPEAK!_

_NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ME!_

_MEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN!_

Turning back to his enemy, Guts Man was ready to charge!

But Mega Man,

had dissapeared!

_WHERE DID HE GO?_

* * *

_Gotta...get...outta...here... _

Rock limped down the dark empty.

_I lost. I admit it, I lost this fight._

_I need to get to Rush, and grab Cossack._

_And live to fight another day._

_Live._

_LIVE._

_I WANT TO LIVE!_

_RUSH!_

_PLEASE! _

_SOMEONE COME SAVE ME!_

_ANYONE!_

_PLEASE!_

_Anyone..._

_I just want to live..._

_And go home..._

_and be with my family and friends..._

_I don't want to fight at all..._

_I just want to live._

Rock turned his head around for the slight chance that Guts Man was there stalking him.

He wasn't but that raised the question: Where was he.

With one wave of the hand, Guts Man could end Rock's existence.

And now he was out somewhere, hunting him down.

Setting a trap for him, no doubt.

Rock didn't know what to do.

He couldn't take Guts Man head on,

And Guts Man would run him down if he detected him,

he might be able to avoid him, but how could he escape?

Rock kept looking around, just waiting for Guts Man to pop out and end him.

Walking up and down corridor and corridor, door after door, room after room.

Death felt like quite literally a few paces away.

FWIP!

Out of nowhere, and hand grabbed Rock!

Rock's stifled the urge to scream.

"Cossack! What are-"

"ssshhhhh! whisper!" Cossack motioned Rock to follow him.

They came to a hallway with an alarm. Cossack punched in a code. ACCESS GRANTED.

Going down the hall, they came to Cossack's personal door.

Walking through, they came upon to his laboratory.

"Here we are. My personal playground and hell."

"How is it both? They are kinda on opposite end there Doctor?"

Cossack sighed. "I love science, and I love technology. But at times,

it can be hard staying away from family, you know?" Cossack looked at Rock. "Of course you do, I can see it in your eyes boy."

"Yeah, your right..." Rock shook his head. "On to more important things. First, how the hell are you still conscious?"

Blood was all over Cossack's lab coat. And Rock saw that his entire rib cage was fractured.

Cossack laughed it off. "I told you, I've had worse. I'm too stubborn to die here. Which brings me to another question, why are you Lucky the leprechaun all of a sudden?"

"Its a new ability. But I'm afraid it wont help much."

"Do you mind go back to cannon arm form?"

"Sure.

BUSTER MODE!"

Rock changed back to blue as his buster came back.

"Here, sit on this." Dr. Cossack put Rock on a table.

"I have been doing research on that kind of cannon. Wait a sec." He pulled off some tools, grabbed a few wires, and came back.

"Like, I said, I've been doing research-" Cossack opened up Rocks Buster. "After making a prototype of my own, I think I know how to increase the output of your buster."

"You can make my shots more powerful?"

"Yes, give me a minute..."

Cossack plugged in a few wires, when over to a control panel, and pushed a button.

Electricity surged into Rock's buster.

_WOAH! MAN THAT WAS A JOLT!_

As Cossack worked on the Buster, Rock thought of something?

"How could you have possibly worked on my Buster so fast? How long have you known I existed."

"Only when you first fought those other Robots. Here, hold this..."

"That was like a month ago! Are you sure you know what your doing?"

"That reminds me,

oh, lemme just take this back real quick...

if this things overloads or something, its going to cause an explosion the size of...

uh, how big is Denver, Colorado again?"

"..."

"We'll just say big enough that we probably wont get away."

"Well with that being said, I hate to rush you Mr. Cossack, but I am being hunted by the largest and angriest piece of Lego ever seen."

"Well currently, I am just finishing re-invigorating your buster so it can be used.

Now I have to install a power capsule to make your shots stronger."

Cossack turned to a table. Grabbing a white capsule, he took it and quickly walked over to a machine with DANGER RADIATION written on it.

Shooting it down a compartment, Cossack powered it on, flipped a few switches, and pulled the lever.

SHOWONWONWONWONWONWON! A long black tube was transferring energy to the crystal.

"Cossack, how long is that gonna take?"

"About 15 minutes."

"Think he'll find us by then?"

"Hopefully something is keeping him busy. I'd say 50-50."

CLTONK!

Both Cossack and Rock's looked at the entrance to the lab.

"W-W-What was that?" Cossack said nervously.

CLTONK!

CLTONK!

CLTONK!

_Wait a second..._

"Rush! Is that you boy?"

ARF! ARF! ARF!

Rush scampered down the hall. _ROCK! I FOUND YOU! THANK GOODNESS YOUR STILL ALIVE!_

"Rush, Oh my God I can't believe you found me! Your amazing!"

Rush bounded in and leapt all over Rock.

"WOAH THERE RUSH!" Rock and the operating table where pushed across the room, almost crushing Cossack between the other machine.

_OH OM SO SORRY ROCK I JUST LOVE YOU SO MUCH! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'VE DESTROYED GUTS MAN!_

"Yeah, sorry about that boy, but Guts Man is still crawling around here. Could you stand guard for us for a little while?"

_OKAY, I'M ON IT!_

Rush scurried out of the room, standing guard at the door. Then he realized something, and turned his attention back to Rock.

_Wait Rock what exactly are you doing? Wait, is that Cossack? I lost him, he's been with you the entire time-_

SHWOOOOOOOP!

"RUSH LOOK OUT!"

CRUNNNCHHHHHHHHHHH!

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH!

Rock and Cossack froze.

He was here, he had found them.

And Rush, there only means of defense,

had been taken out.

Everything was silent.

And then the hallway lit up with the sound of Guts Man's maniacal,

triumphant laughter.


	31. Mega Rekt

"Doctor..." Rock said slowly, it had been silent ever since Rush was mushed into the wall. "How much longer into you can get that capsule in my systems?"

"...Too long."

Cossack powered off the machine. "I-I

I need something sharp. Now."

Cossack looked around fast. _Maybe a screwdriver or the back of a hammer-_

CRSHNK!

Cossack turned.

Rock broke off a piece of what remained of his helmet. "Use this. What are you going to do?"

"Im going to cut off a piece of the tube, and shot the energy in you manually."

"What? That's insane! No way that can work."

"Can you keep him talking for the next 10 minutes?"

"Funny story about him talking, you see,"

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

Guts Man slowly made his way down the hall. Savoring every moment of it.

_NOWHERE TO RUN,_

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

_NOWHERE TO HIDE!_

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

He was coming. They were out of options.

"Do it Cossack."

SHHHRRIIIIPPPPP!

Cossack cut open the tube, and stuffed it in Rock's Buster. "Whatever you do, do not let it,"

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

"get out."

Cossack re-activated the machine.

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

SHOWONWONWONWONWONWON!

Rock could feel energy going into his buster.

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

Rock aimed his buster at the door, waiting for Guts Man to come through

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

_K Guts Man, let's end this_.

He powered it up. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

He could see Guts Man shadow, getting bigger,

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

Bigger,

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

BIGGER,

TOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGG!

Then, it started to shrink back...

Rock thought he heard the sound of Guts Man rockets...

_Wait ,what are you.._

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

_HERE'S GUTSYYYYYYYYY!_

Guts Man saw his prey, and launched straight at him.

_FIRE!_

SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOM,

POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Rock flew back from the explosion, the light blinding his eyes, the blast ringing in his ears.

The room began shake back and forth...

he was passing out...

_No._

_Not like this..._

* * *

SHHHLLIP! SHHHLLIP! SHHHLLIP!

_Hey, cut it out.._

_heh heh, that tickles..._

_ROCK! Please come back to be!_

"Yeah?"

_Your talking! Please, don't go back to the light?_

"Yeah. Hey boy." Rock sat up, giving his dog a hug. "I thought you were out after Guts Man crushed you between the wall!

Wait..."

Rock looked over. A large pile of rubble replaced the wall.

_I gotta make sure..._

Scrambling over to the rubble, Rock began to pull rocks off the pile.

Throwing away,

away,

away,

until he came across Guts Man's body.

The Robot Master had been turned over on his stomach, his waist being exposed to the light.

_OKAY! SO IF HIS ASS IS STILL HERE, THEN THE REST OF HIS BODY-_

Rock began shoveling it off of him, until he began to work if off his chest...

it was gone. A huge hole was all that was left.

Rock was hesitant to touch him, keeping Bomb Man in mind.

_Okay Rock._ Rush got his laser ready. _I got ya covered._

Removing enough rock, Rock finally unearthed Guts Man's head.

Turning him over, Rock saw his face. Mouth open, shocked expression on his face, forever still.

Rock scanned his body, just to make sure.

Even with his regenerative power, Guts Man wasn't immortal.

He had taken too much damage in one shot to recover fast enough to survive.

GUTS MAN DESTROYED

_Okay, time to get his IC chip._

Reaching inside Guts Man, Rock retrieved his IC chip, which he had to get a little bit of Block off of.

_And now, his Power! I could sure use a heal right now. _

Touching Guts Man's arm. He hoped his copy weapon ability would even WORK in the shape he was in.

WEAPON COPY SYSTEM ACTIVATE

WEAPON: SUPER ARM

SCANNING...

Rock felt the tingle in his brain again. Except for a tingle, it was a sharp pain. As much as it hurt, he wasn't surprised, he was running on E and still going 60 a minute.

His screen flashed brown this time, and then back to normal.

PROCESS COMPLETE

HYPER BOMB ABILITY IS READY FOR USE

Rock collapsed to the floor, exhausted. After a brutal fight, he had finally beaten the biggest, the toughest, and strongest Robot Master.

It could only get better from here,

right?

BWOP! BWOP! BWOP!

_Oh yeah, the light show. Guess I better consider it a reward for winning. _

As he continued to watch Guts Man disintegrate, he remembered something.

"Rush...

where's Cossack?"

Rush perked his ears up, as if _he_ had just remembered Cossack too. He sprung up and looked around.

" ! Where are you?" Rock looked around the lab,

after coming through a few piles of looser rubble, Rock gave up hope.

_The explosion must've vaporized him..._

Rock hung his head low. _Thank you Mr. Cossack, for saving my life..._

_"Rock! Rock can u hear me?"_

Rock turned to Rush. The dog's radio communicator was on. It was Roll.

"Yeah Roll, I'm still online. Where are you?"

"_I have a ship! I'm coming to pick you up! There is a helipad nearby! I'll be there soon!"_

"Roger, see you later!" Rock turned to his dog. "Party's over Rush, let get out of here."

Rock and Rush made their way down the hall, and climbed up the stairs.

Rock was still thinking about Cossack. _His family is going to be waiting for him, and he's never gonna come._

As they got up to the helipad, Rock raidoed Roll back. "Were here Roll, waiting for you."

"_Okay, just need to make a quick stop and grab-_

_echkhekheehkhekehkhkekhekhekehkhkhkehekhekhekehkhek_

"Roll?"

_"EKHKHKEHKEHKHEKHEKEHEKROCKEKHEKEEHKEEKEEHEIKHEHEEHEKHEHKEKEHKIMBESOUIJLNSJKNGJNKSJFNFSJKNSIMBEINGKSJLFNSJKFHEKHEKEITSTHEMASTEKJREKJFKJHSFJSHKJSHKSFJHGETOUTOFTHERERUNGDJKGNJSFNKJFNKSJNKSNFJNKS"_

"Roll?

ROLL!"

_WOOF_

Yeah Rush, I head Master too! We gotta get out of here were sitting ducks.

Rock dashed to the door, pulled down the handle,

and froze.

Elec Man was right there.

"Hey there, Mega Bitch."

Rock stepped back. No way he could possibly survive a fight in this condition.

"Haven't seen Guts Man around here. You, you wouldn't have anything to do with that would you?" Elec Man approached him. "Where's Guts Man?" He said, trying to maintain his composure.

"uhh, uhhh."

"WHERE IS HE?" He roared, blasting Rock with a streak of electricity.

KPOOOOOM!

Rock flew back, landing with a thud on the ground

"EYACGHK!" He found himself gasping in pain. His outer body had been ripped open, exposing his circuits.

"SAY IT!" Elec Man yelled, getting ready to fire another blast. "SAY WHAT YOU DID! SAY WHAT YOU DID TO GUTS MAN!"

"i...ughya...i.." rock said weakly, getting to his feet.

"i killed him."

"EXCATLY!" Elec Man punched him in the face. Rock swung around into...

Fire Man. "DIE YOU TWERP!" FWOOSH FWOOSH!

Fire Man's blasts knock Mega Man to the ground. He couldn't move. The flames licked at his body.

Rush fell right next to him. Out of his eyes, he saw Ice Man and Cut Man, both with a burning desire on his face.

"This time," Elec Man said. "THERE IS NO GETTING AWAY!" He summoned electricity on both of his hands.

_C'mon Roll, please._

Fire Man powered his cannons.

_This-This is it?_

Ice Man created a blade using his breath.

_Only 2 out of 6?_

Cut Man whipped out his scissors.

_Damn it... I should have kept better track of time._

_And get out with Cossack when I had the chance._

"ITS OVER MEGA MAN!" Elec Man said. "NOW DIE!"

BEEP! Elec Man paused and looked up.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The other Masters sensed it too.

"WHAT NOW?" Elec Man said.

Looking up at the sky, Rock saw two beings in the distance coming toward them.


	32. Until We Meet Again

"I'm detecting 4 Robot Masters surrounding Mega Man and the dog!" Colonel said.

"Roger." Ace said in his mech. "Wait, 4? I thought there were 5 Robot Masters?"

"Maybe he took one out?"

"In that case, the others are going to be pissed, and probably already kicking his ass. And if he weak," Ace said, getting nervous. "Um, how the hell are we gonna win this fight? Its probably gonna be 4 against 2."

"Maybe we can scare them off? Or get in a lucky hit?"

"This is gonna be suicide if we go in there hot. We need to think of a plan."

"Mega Man doesn't have time for us to think of a plan."

"True." Ace thought about it. "How about you grab those two, I lay down some cover fire, and we get out of there?"

"How do you expect to outrun them? You think they're just gonna sit there and wait?"

"No, but you got a better idea?"

The scanners showed the the Robot Masters were motioning towards them. One of them shot out something at them.

Ace dodged a bolt of electricity. "I think they know were here!"

"Looks like were gonna have to fight." Colonel guided his machine down for landing.

* * *

The Robot Masters jumped back, landing on the roof of the stairwell, waiting for the two mechs to touch down.

"These guys again!" Fire Man said. "I'm of intrusions! It really burns me up!"

"Chill Fire Man, no way these two alone can beat off of us! Just more fun in my book." Ice Man was still confident.

As they came to a landing, Colonel checked up Mega Man. "You okay there buddy?"

Mega Man was wheezing and rasping in pain.

"Here, lemme give you a hand." Colonel picked up both Mega Man and Rush.

Meanwhile, Ace was facing off with the Masters. "Ey, what the hell are yall doing over dere? Ya came here looking for a fite rite? GET OVER HERE!"

_Well somone's eager to die._ Elec Man thought. "Let's see just how good that little suit of your is human!"

Elec Man started to fire bolts of electricity at them. Ace dodged them easily from the distance.

"Time to turn up the heat!" Fire Man started fire blasts of flames.

_Okay! Its getting a bit harder! _Ace thought. Not only was he dodged two sets of attack, but was also trying to inch his way closer...

_WOAH!_ Ace slid and fell under a blade of ice that cut across his chest diagonally.

"Heheheehe." Ice Man giggled. "Fast, but to too fast."

_OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH!_ Ace said, getting back to a vertical basis. "_WING VERNIER ABILITY ACTIVATE!_"

Ace's jets lit up like a rocket, and Ace tore through the air.

Elec Man was shocked. _NO WAY HE CAN MOVE-_

Ace ran his fist straight through Elec Man's face. _THAT WAS FOR MY RIBS BITCH!_

Elec Man went flying went for a kick right to Fire Man's head.

THWACK! Fire Man just managed to get his arm up to block it. "How DARE you attack that like that! Face the power of the Robot Masters!"

Fire Man bent over backwards, and Cut Man jumped forward, hitting ace with a drop kick than sent him crashing the the ground below.

_Ow, okay, probably should have saw that coming._ Ace thought.

_Wait,_

_what's that._

Ice Man was plummeting down to Earth, directly above him, Ice Blade in hand.

_OH SHIT!_

Ace rolled out of the way as Ice Man hit the ground, the blade just missing his neck.

As ace got back to his feet, he looked over at Colonel. "UM, I NEED SOME HELP HERE! ARE WE GETTING OUT OF HERE OR NAW?"

"YOU CANT ESCAPE US!" Fire Man said, firing at Ace again.

Ace juked it, and got back over to Colonel. "Ace, Mega's in serious trouble. I'm gonna HAVE to carry him back out of here.

"What about these guys!?"

"I don't know, we need more help!"

The Robot Masters re-organized and prepared for round 2. Elec Man came back, holding his jaw. "Caught me by surprise!" He said. "Just don't expect for that to happen twice!"

"Colonel..."

"Ugh, right behind you." Colonel set Mega Man down. Facing the Robot Masters, He drew his sword.

"Nice knowing you Colonel..."

The door to the helipad opened, and soldiers began to pour outside.

"WHAT IS THIS LATEST INTERRUPTION?" Fire Man yelled.

Rock looked up. It was the Russian soldiers from before. "Mega Man, что случилось здесь?" (Mega Man, what happened here?)

Rock could talk at this point, but that was about it. "Мастеров робота у меня очень хорошая, они правы выше вас на путь." (Robot Masters got me pretty good, they're right above you by the way.)

After he said that, all the soldiers jumped backwards, and aimed up at the Masters.

Cut Man laughed. "FOOT SOLDIERS? THEY'RE SENDING FOOT SOLDIERS WITH PEA SHOOTERS AT US? I feel insulted AND humored at the same time!"

He smirked, and flicked his blade. "They'll only be a minor inconvenience before we get done with those guys over there."

"Yeah," Ice Man said. "Now we don't have to share!"

The commander look at the Robot Masters, not backing down an inch. "Да, это значительно больше, чем гороха стрелялок.Ya, я пришел сюда, чтобы получить мои ass пинали ногами." (Oh, These are a lot more than pea see, I came here to get my ass kicked.)

"Да, это значительно больше, чем гороха стрелялок.Ya, я пришел сюда, чтобы получить мои ass пинали ногами." (But I also came here to kick some ass! So let's see just how well these 'pea shooters' hold up against what they were REALLY MADE FOR! GET READY BOYS! YOUR ABOUT TO GET THE FIGHT OF YOU LIVES!)

His men rallied behind him. "WOOOOOOOOO!" They cheered, and just waited from the Masters to make the first move.

Fire Man smirked. "Time to feed the flames!"

The Masters were waiting for Elec Man's call.

"...Stand down Masters." Elec Man said.

They all turned to him. "What?"

"I said, get back to the ship. Were retreating."

"But WHY?" Cut Man said. "All we have are a bunch of G.I Joe rejects, and a few Gundam throwaways, and we finally kill Mega Man! He is on his last batteries! C'mon, are you really going to let him get away NOW? After what he did to Bomb Man,

and after what he did to GUTS MAN? Are you serious?"

"OUR GOAL, CUTMAN," Elec Man started. "WAS TO COME HERE AND SAVE GUTS MAN! WE FAILED, HE'S DEAD, AND THAT'S IT! TIME TO CUT OUR LOSSES AND GO HOME! THAT'S AN ORDER! WE ARE LEAVING NOW! AND THAT'S IT!"

Elec Man turned around,

and started walking away.

Cut Man looked at him stunned. He turned to his brothers. They had the same disappointed look on them. But slowly, they followed him.

Cut Man looked at Mega man one last time. "YOU GET AWAY THIS ONE MORE TIME! BUT SOONER OR LATER, YOUR LUCKY BREAKS ARE GONNA RUN OUT!"

He flew off to catch up with the other Masters.

"Aye? Where ya going? It was just starting to get interesting in here! Come back!" Ace yelled.

While the Russian soldiers were cheering the fact that they had scared of the Masters, Colonel turn to Mega. "Where's Cossack?"

"Guts Man killed him." Rock responded.

"Damnit. Well, at least you took care of Guts Man. How about I take you back to my groups place, get you fixed up?"

Rock didn't trust him enough to say yes. _STRANGER DANGER! "_No thanks, I've got my own ride coming." Rock turned around. "Oh, there is it now."

A small ship came flying in. Rush managed to take Rock, and slowly hover up to it. Before Rock opened the door, he gave one last look at Colonel and the soldiers, and waved goodbye to them all.

"Hey Roll," Rock said. "Do you think next time you can come sooner?"

"Sorry about that Rock." Roll said from the cockpit. "But I had to get something first."

"What?"

"Me."

Rock looked behind him. "Cossack! Your alive! But how?"

"I got away from the blast just enough to not get knocked out too much. I managed to crawl to the communications room and contacted Miss Roll here."

"That's great! Thanks Cossack you've saved my life twice today!"

Cossack laughed. "You've saved mine too. They think I'm dead right?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Cossack sat back in his chair and relaxed. "Have my family sell the house and move to America."

"Where are you gonna stay? The military sent to to Russia to get YOU!"

"Yeah I know, Guts Man told me that. Buut I thought-"

Roll laughed nervously from the cockpit. "Oh you guys worry too much. relax! Your alive! That's a miracle in itself! Laugh a little..."

Rock was suspicious. "Roll, what did you do..."

"Heh, heh, i kind of told Cossack he and his family could live with us..."

"WHAT?"

"His daughter is adorable, i just have to meet her!"

"Roll they cant live with us, where would they stay? In the house?"

"Actually... has some living quarters in the Labs. They could stay there for a while..."


	33. Take Me To Your Hikaris

"And then BOOM! I blew him up!" Rock said.

"WOW Rock! Your amazing!" Lan said, eyes wide with excitement.

Rock, Roll, and Cossack were back at the Labs. Rock was telling the story to Lan while Roll was getting Cossack set up.

Mr. and Mrs. Hikari came down. Lan rushed to them. "Mom, dad, you gotta hear Rock's story!"

"We'll listen to it later Lan." Dr. Hikari said, bu right now, I want to meet our new guest..."

Roll popped out from behind the corner. "Oh good, Mr. Cossack! The family's all here now!"

Dr. Hikari braced himself for his introduction. _ , it a pleasure and an honor to meet such a highly rated scientist as yourself..._

"Why hello there Mr. and Mrs. Hikari! Greetings, and thank you for letting me stay here..."

Cossack was puzzled. Why were they giving him such looks of shock?

He looked down. _Oh yeah, that's right. I'm covered in my own blood and vomit._

"My apologies! I unfortunately met the Robot Master face to face in Russia, and I'm afraid he hit me quite a bit."

Mrs. Hikari almost fainted. "How-How is he still alive...?" Dr. Hikari mumbled out.

Lan was about to throw up. "Oh, my, God... I don't. I don't fel so good...

"OH NO YA DON'T!"Auto rushed him to the bathroom.

"Ooops. I forgot you cant turn off your senses of smell. I'll have Dr. Cossack here go clean up."

Roll walked Cossack back to him room.

Dr. Hikari turned to Dr. Light. "Well Thomas, you sure bring the hell of some guest around here. What about the rest of his family?"

"After Russia gets done with the funeral, they'll move over here."

"How long is that gonna take?"

"Ehhhh, a month or two?"

"Good, so not too long."  
Dr. Light turned his attention to Rock. "The repairs I made should be done by morning. Mr. Cossack and I will start installing the new, charged shot then alright?"

"Alright."

Dr. Light smiled. "Two in one week! I'm proud of you boy! This war will be over in no time!"

"Thanks doctor. But right now, I really need some sleep."

"Understood and well deserved. Haruka! Take the boys home. I'll finish up here."

"Okay dad. Lan!" Mrs. Hikari called.

Lan was coming out of the bathroom with Auto.

"C'mon Lan, its time for bed."

"Great, because now I get to have that image of Mr. Cossack haunt my dreams!"

"Oh toughen up, lets go boys."

As Mrs. Hikari and the boys left, Dr. Hikari spoke. "You know Thomas, its amazing as how Rock keeps winning. I know he catches those breaks with those guys helping him out. But they are never there during actual fighting! It just him and Rush! And they can beat Wily and those Masters! Rock took out the big guys, and now he wants to use charged shots? He'll be tearing through the rest of those guys like wet paper!"

"Yeah." Thomas responded. "Its almost too easy."

* * *

"Well?"

Dr. Wily gave a hard look at his Robot Masters.

"Both Guts Man and Bomb Man are destroyed.

Do you know why they're both dead? What they had in common?"

"Because they were both big?" Cut Man responded.

"NO RIBBON BRAIN!" Wily exploded. "THEY BOTH TRIED TO FIGHT MEGA MAN ALONE! AND DID YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED? THEY'RE DEAD, THEIR FUCKING DEAD!

AS MUCH AS I HATE TO SAY THIS, MEGA MAN IS A DANGEROUS ENEMY! YOU WILL HAVE TO SWARM HIM, AND KILL HIM FAST! ONLY AS A TEAM WILL YOU ALL SURVIVE!

GO TO YOUR ROOMS AND THINKING OF BATTLE STRATEGIES YOU CAN USE, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING BACK TO DENTECH CITY SOON!"

"How soon?" Fire Man inquired.

"As soon as I begin mass-producing new kinds of infantry! now BEGONE!"

As the Robot Master left, Wily sat in a chair thinking to himself.

_Yes... Mega Man wont be able to handle to Mets, the Masters, and what else I have planned for him.._

"Dr. Wily, a word."

Wily looked up, it was Break Man.

"Hey there, Guts Man is dead. I'll take you up on your offer to kill Mega Man and remove that problem from the grand scheme of things."

"Actually, I'l let the Master have their fun with him."

Wily gave him a look, and laughed. "Were going to keep back and forth on this, aren't we?"

"We won't have to, I have a plan."

"Oh, and what does Break Man have in mind?" Wily sat back looking amused.

"I did some research on Thomas Light."

"What could you know about the man that I don't already know?"

"That he has grandchildren?"

Wily sat up. "Really now?" _I've lost track of the years. I never really have been busy keeping up on old Tommy._

"Yeah, Lan and Rock Hikari. I'm going to kidnap them and make Mega Man come here, where the Masters will get to have their vengeance."

"Okay, seems logical. But just how are you going to get close?"

Break Man smiled. "Trick or Treat."

END OF PART THREE


	34. Headstone

TESTING SIMULATION COMPLETE

Ace turned off his mech's weapons and powered down. Several Repliforce workers came to assist him and examine his mech. Ace checked his score. _95% _"Oh man I missed 5%."

"Well, someone's looking pretty good." Alia walked toward him, looking at his performance with and impressed look at her face.

"Yeah. Missed 5%, but I'll take it for now."

"You and the Acid mech are becoming a better pair every day."

"Speaking of pairings," Ace looked around. "Where's Fabio?"

"Drew called in sick. I wanted for him to come in so I can examine him to see if it was a Genesis side-effect, but he didn't want to show up."

"Oh, wondering what he came down with."

"Okay, that takes care of you for a while..." Alia was looking at her stat sheet. "Wait, hold on, today's the tenth."

"Yeah, I know. Halloween's in 3 weeks. We have parties here, right?"

"Ace, come with me." Alia got out her phone. "Sigma?... Yeah, I'm leaving... Oh you remembered? And didn't tell me?... Yeah, your right, I should have remembered. But I didn't, and now I look like a jackass for getting on Drew for not showing up today. Goodbye."

She hung up. "Ace, come with me."

"Why, what's going on? Where's Drew?"

"We're getting on a plane."

"A PLANE? To where?"

"To Drew, in California."

"Wait, why is he in California?"

"I'll... I'll explain everything later. Just let me run to my desk real quick..."

* * *

Alia sat down in her plane were first class in a private jet on their way to San Diego, California.

Ace sat down, pissed. "Okay, out of nowhere, you bring me out of Repliforce Base for San Diego, all for Drew. Wow, for someone that doesn't like Drew, you sure think about him a lot."

"I brought you here as backup for me," Alia admitted.

"Backup?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure I can talk to Drew alone without something going wrong. Besides your his partner, you need to get to know him better anyway."

"K, I'm hearing Drew, Drew, Drew. Since I'm backup, why don't you just call me a wing man and set up a date with him for you?"

"You don't want to talk about Drew, fine." Alia sat back. "Let's talk about something else."

"Anything else. We can even talk about politics, religion, sports..."

"How about you?"

"What?"

"Yeah, you have a life too right? I looked through your bio if you don't mind me snooping around." Alia grinned. "Bartlesville, huh? Didn't expect for you to be a farmboy."

Ace relaxed and chuckled. "Yeah. I spent my early days as a kid helping out on my farm by helping harvesting wheat. Most of my family would drop out of school and start working as soon as possible, but with the technology of farming evolving, and me being the youngest of 7, I ended up staying in school longer..."

"And got into basketball."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "You really did look at my bio, didn't you?"

"Yeah, apparently all the scouts you were good and full of energy. Enough to get you into college, despite being only being 6 feet." She leaned in with a mischevious smile. "Arthur."

Ace winced. "Yeah, never really liked that name growing up. Felt so nerdy. People started calling me Ace because it reflected my image, and I just ran with it. I became one of the most popular people on campus getting called Ace."

"Yeah, apparently you were good in D2." She looked down. "I'm sorry about your injury."

Ace waved it off. "Oh, its' fine." He said, rubbing his knee. "It's healed up nice. Besides, it's not like I was going to get to the pros. I'm only 6 foot, blowing my ACL was just a way to get rid of any lingering pipe dream. It was nice while it lasted." Ace said, looking nostalgic.

He looked out the window. "We'll be in California soon enough. Just tell me what I'm in for."

Alia sat back for a minute, trying to collect her thoughts. Her face fell. "Ace, I don't know where to start."

"Calm down. Take your time." Ace said. _T__his ain't gonna be a happy tale._

"Okay okay, every started in 1988, back in Russia, or was about to be Russia. That was when we first met the man we would call Zero..."

* * *

Every year. It would never fail. In an ever moving world, this was the one spot of constant for the past 10 years, he had flown across the country from Florida to this for this one day. West Memorials Cemetery. Oceanside California. The final resting place of Iris Williams. He looked at the headstone, reading is just once more after thousands of times before.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

IRIS WILLIAMS

AUGUST 21 1972 LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 10 2004, OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA

A PROUD AND HAPPY MOTHER, SISTER, AND FRIEND

SHE WILL FOREVER BE MISSED

MAY SHE REST IN PEACE

"I'm here Iris." He said. "I'll be every year until I'm in the dirt with you."

He saw two people walking towards him from behind. It was Alia and Ace.

"There you are! Listen, Drew, I am so sorry."

"Oh, don't give me any of that crap!" Drew responded. "I come here every year, plant flowers on her grave, and not once, ONCE in the past 10 years have I seen any signs of you ever showing up here! You only show up when you need something!"

He turned to the grave. "Oh look Iris, Alia finally showed up! Only took her 10 damn years!"

Alia was stunned. She did NOT expect that. "Drew, I'm only trying to help... she was my best friend too..."

"AND YOU FORGOT THE DAY SHE DIED?" He yelled. "No, no, forget that." he shook his head. "What about everyone else? The hundreds of people that died just hours of people before?"

"I was busy Drew, it slipped my mind..."

"HOW IN THE WORLD, DOES SOMETHING AS BIG AS THE NIGHTMARE INCIDENT SLIP YOUR MIND ALIA? HUH, HOW?"

Alia stood there for a moment, silent.

_Damn, both of these two can let loose._ Ace thought. _Maybe I should say something..._

Alia pulled something out of her pocket and threw it at Drew. It was a small box. Catching it and opening the lid, Dew couldn't believe what he was holding. "Is-is this your..."

She tapped her head. "I keep it on my desk every day to remind myself what happened, and how blessed I am I'm still alive."

"I forgot just how well crafted this thing was."

"The guy was an expert. He did a good job.

"Not as good as Project Genesis, I presume."

"Yeah, you guess it. Project Genisis is what brought me back to Repliorce. After I adopted Axl, I came down with an infection in my eye. I couldn't, I couldn't even play with him, drive out to places or talk while looking at him or even cook him a meal! Never thought I'd see the day that boy got sick of pizza delivered to the door. It got better but, I regained the consciousness I felt about it. So I get a call from Sigma, offering me my eye, and several years back. I drop Axl off at a friends house to stay a few days in the summer, and well, here I am! Good as new, like nothing ever happened." She held up her shirt and her pants. "The scars are gone, and I can see out of both eyes now. But I still keep it at my desk, and its been there every day for the past six years. I don't need it to remember, but I still keep it, I still look at it, makes me feel strong, looking at it."

Tears started to streak down her face. "That's more than what YOU can say huh?" Alia turned to Ace, who is in stunned silence. "Can you believe it Ace? I tried to be there for him, and he pushed me away! He couldn't stand the sight of me! He LITERALLY, COULD NOT, LOOK AT ME! And yet, he whines and complains about being alone and abandoned!"

She turned back to Drew. "And yet, he wasn't even scratched! He got off scot-free while I was sitting in the emergency room screaming in pain and crying my, my one good eye out!"She walked up to Drew. "You needed someone? I NEEDED SOMEONE! And when you couldn't look at me, when you couldn't love me, i found someone who DID! And yet, I'M THE BAD GUY!" She slapped him, "IRIS DIDN'T DESERVE TO DIE, BUT I KNOW YOUR TRUE COLORS! YOU SHOULD BE IN A HOLE SIX FEET IN THE GROUND, NOT HER! AFTER THIS ROBOT MASTER SHIT IS OVER, YOU CAN CRAWL IN A HOLE AND FUCKING DIE DREW!"

She stormed away. Drew still had his head leaning to the side. Ace and Drew just stood there, trying to process what just happened before them.

"Ace, don't worry about this." Drew said. "This is how is ended. I guess it wasn't meant to be."

"Well, it seems you two have your issues. I'd like to only be here as support, friendship, witness-"

He turned around. "But it seems like I'm going to have to be more than that."

"Ace, what exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be backup."


	35. Heart to Heart

_Note to self,_ Ace thought as he wandered the streets of Oceanside. _Never leave an emotionally frantic woman with the keys. _

He started looking through the bars. _She's probably gonna get drunk and hit it off with some guy._

He started running. _That can end in so many ways and none of them good. Gotta find her quick Ace! __Maybe..._

Ace remembered his cell phone. Even though Alia wasn't responding…

_I can still locate her via phone._

Tracking the phone, Ace walked up a few blocks,

To find a familiar car with a familiar passenger.

Ace knocked in the window. "Yoo-hoo, you gonna let me in.

Alia opened the door as Ace climbed inside. He looked at what Alia had. "Scotch and a box of donuts. How to console yourself on a tight budget."

Alia took a swig. "I know you're trying to be helpful Ace, but you should leave this alone. Go find a girl of your own. Trust me, there are plenty of girls out there looking for a guy like you."

Ace's head sunk.

Alia felt kind of ashamed that she said that. "Ace, I'm not trying to push you away…"

"Alia, listen for a moment." He took a deep breath.

Alia knew where this was going. "Oh no, if this is some story Drew had you come down here and say to me…"

"I had to walk several miles on foot, just to make sure nothing had happened to you. You can at least listen."

_OH, so you think YOUR day was bad…_ Alia wanted to start yelling. But that was the scotch talking.

"Fine, go ahead, Share your moral story…"

"Okay, remember our conversation on the plane?"

"About me and Drew and everything that happened… yeah."

Ace facepalmed. "Not that, the important topic… ME."

Alia laughed, biting into a donut. "How could I forget? Forgive me, Mr. Eos, I am but a poor and dumb drunkard that forgets her place. "

"Damn straight you are. " Ace responded. "Anyway, back to me, after I blew my ACL, I knew I wasn't going to the pros, so I studied a bit harder in school, and just got my four-year degree. So school is out, I was the first person in my family with a college degree, and I had nothing. I didn't have a job, so the only thing I could afford to do, the most logical thing to do, was to just go home, and maybe find some work there. So I'm sitting on the school steps, waiting for my folks to show up,And I just walk away. Whatever money I had I blew on a plane ride to St. Louis, get a job as a janitor at McDonalds, and bought a crappy little apartment for myself."

"Ooooooo, rebellious teenager phase." Alia said giggling.

"Anyway, my entire family was shocked and pissed. They demanded to know why I spent their money and left. I-I-I just didn't walk to go back to the farms. I got a taste of living in an urban environment, and well, I wanted more. I wanted to see the world."

"So you started singing and animals came out and there was merriment and laughter throughout the land. "

"Actually my parents cut me off from any more money. If I wanted to live in the world, I would live in, and die by it. They were just waiting for me to come crawling back. I didn't hate them for it but,"

He sighed. "I guess I was just so disappointed that they wouldn't support me at all. I hate being alone. Anyways, so I tried to better by getting a job as a gym coach at an elementary school."

"So you had a big kid in charge of all the little kids. Must've been a match made in heaven." Alia grinned.

Ace smiled with her. "It was fun, but, they really don't pay teachers in America enough money. I was living as low and cheap as possible, and I was still struggling."

"So what did you do?"

"I saw that there were tryouts for policemen, and next thing I knew, I was out of the gym, and a member of St. Louis' Finest."

"Oooh, you must've been cute in a uniform, and enjoyed all the perks of being a cop."

"After all that I had been through for the past few months, you bet I enjoyed every advantage being a cop in America could possible offer. Rams' games, parties, free food, and DISCOUNTS! Oh my God, the discounts."

Alia chuckled. "So you were a cop and still pinching pennies?"

"Oh yes, it was a habit by then."

"So what next?"

"So I was in the police force for a couple of years, and then, everything changed one winter. They had me go undercover as a part of several corporate sting operations. The target was King's Toyland Corporation."

"Yeah I've heard of them. I bought quite a bit of merchandise for them for Axl in his first few years with me."

"So I walk into one of their store, undercover as another Christmas-rush hand, And that's when I met her."

Ace sat back smiling, remembering her.

"She had these long, curly waves of purple hair, her eyes were this citrine brown." He giggled. "And she was in this cute elf costume."

Alia grinned. "So it was love at first sight?"

"Well at least for me it was. She hated me. Hell, she hated everyone except her brother. But when you save said brother from busting his head open after falling off a ladder, you get close to someone. And well, it was Christmas, add that magic holiday spirit to the ole Ace charm, no woman can resist. We got really close, but..."

His face fell. He paused for a moment.

"I had a job to do. I-I-I started to pull away from her. I tried but, the whole thing started to fall apart. This guy at work got a DUI on New Year's, so they fired him, and Tia called to make me a permanent worker... My boss wouldn't let me. I had to move on to another assignment. So I had to... break up with her. It was one of the worst nights of my life. I-I-I hurt her, so much doing that." Ace was tearing up. "I actually loved her, but the only reason we where even togther was a police investigation."

_Well what did you expect bozo? Were you really expecting to find evidence under her sheets?_

_No. Bad drunk Alia._ Alia comforted him. "You were younger. We all make mistakes."

"Alia, do you know how much pain it is to look as someone you love after you hurt them? It's Almost impossible. I couldn't do it."

Alia gave him a hard all she knew, this was just a set- up by Ace and Drew. But, there was something genuine in that boy's eyes. Like he really had a past loss and pain of love.

After a while, she sighed, and started up her car. "Damnit Ace, just when I'm over my ex..."


	36. Old Habits-Tough to Break

Rain was starting to pour down in Oceanside. Alia was completely unprepared for the slightest drop of rain. So when the night's torrent came, she found herself drenched. _And they say they have a drought here._ She thought as she splashed through the graveyard, sneezing every 15 seconds.

"Oh great, my hair is going to get all messed up!"

"Oh shut up Ace!" She yelled back at him. "Let's just get Drew and get back to the car!"

"Why do you think he'd be out here now? He's probably in his own car, all nice and dry and toasty!"

As he looked up ahead, he could see a large, shadowy figure. _Well I'll be damned, those two are both equally nuts._

Alia walked up to Drew, who was under an umbrella. As she ducked under it, she realized just how close she was to him...

But damnit, it was dry under there.

"Hey." Drew spoke, who was still looking at Iris' grave.

"Hey to you too." Alia responded. "You knew I would be back didn't you? That's the only reason your still out here." She was thinking about pulling back.

"I'm out here, for as long as I feel like I should be out here."

"Well I guess if you do that, it's probably a good idea to check the weather forecast first. Thanks for the umbrella. But still,

highly suspicious of you being out here after Ace sold me a story…"

"Whatever Ace tells you, he tells you. I'm out here because of me."

"Why on earth would you stay out in a monsoon when you know you could catch a cold in an instant."

"Because the rain,

Reminds me of her."

Alia looked at her friend's grave. She chuckled. "Iris probably would have screamed for you to come back and get inside and get warm. "

Drew smiled. "She loved the rain though. Not being outside in it of course. But she loved to watch it. It was peaceful to her. She thought of it as the Earth being replenished and for all creation to just sit back, wait around and relax."

Alia smiled; only half-realizing she was nuzzling against Drew's shoulder. "I remember her sitting on the porch watching it come down. Not doing anything but sit on a little bench or a rocking chair, drinking some tea, sing a few tunes, doze off, and watching as the rain came down. For hours sometime. When Zero first came to America, she had him just sit down with her, teach him how to be calm and soft. I think I still have pictures of them falling asleep on each other, and hold each other."

She sighed. "I missed those days."

"You and me both." Drew grabbed her hand. "We were young, and we had a tight knit family among each other. But first X, and then Zero…"

Alia pulled her hand back. "Which brings us to now. I-I-I still haven't forgiven you for neglecting me Drew, and I,

I just want to know why."

Drew looked at her, and then looked at the ground.

There was a long pause.

Alia braced herself for his response. Somehow, she felt as if something emotionally big was about to come crashing down.

"Every time I looked at you," Drew started. "I saw the pain that you went through. When the Nightmare Incident took your eye, took you mind.

I saw the pain, and the death of all my other comrades and co-workers. The screams that were heard on that night. And the scene of that much red."

His eyes started to puff up. "I saw,

I saw,

I saw my sister's charred body, pulled out of the rubble of her own home.

I saw my nephew, who they never found. Who's either dead today-or worse.

And lastly,

LASTLY,

I saw shake Zero's hand, welcoming him back into Repliforce!"

"Drew," Alia said slowly. "If you have been thinking for all of this time that you're a somehow responsible for what Zero did.."

"WHY NOT ALIA?" Drew roared. "HOW IS NONE OF THIS MY FAULT?

I OVERSAW THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MECH PROJECTS! WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR PILOTS, I WANTED SOMEONE I KNEW I COULD TRUST! SOMEONE I KNEW I COULD DEPEND ON! SO I CHOSE ZERO! ALIA, YOU DON'T RELIZE WHAT A SCUMBAG I AM!"

Hot tears came down his face as he continued ranting. "ZERO WAS STILL REELING ON WHAT HAPPENED TO X! AND I USED THAT ALIA! I USED WHAT HAPPENED TO X TO MY ADVENTAGE! I TURNED ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS INTO A BARGINING CHIP!

ZERO WASN'T READY TO COME BACK! HELL, HE HAD A FAMILY TO LOOK AFTER! BUT I WAS SO LOW, SUCH A SELFISH PIECE OF CRAP, THAT I BROUGHT HIM BACK ANYWAY! AND YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED, YOU SEE WHAT HE DID! I PUT HIM IN THE POSITION; I PUT HIM IN THE MECH! ALL THE PEOPLE HE HURT AND HE KILLED LAY ON MY CONCIOUS! LAY ON MY WATCH AND RESPONSIBILITY! THAT INCLUDES YOU!"

He sunk to his knees. "You were…right, for leaving me for Gate. It always hurts to admit that, but you were right."

Alia just stared at him, taking in everything he just said. She felt Drew had just genuinely spat out 10 years of self-directed rage, of guilt. All of her emotions when to sympathy, to pity, to some self-anger of her own for not figuring that out herself.

She had to console him.

"Okay, first of all,

don't act like what happened to X didn't affect you too. I saw you going around the base. You looked lost, you looked confused and you were always second-guessing yourself. You became a ghost of your regular self, crumbling under the weight of jobs you normally handled fine. You turned to Zero because you needed an old friend to comfort you, to give you confidence again. As for what Zero did…"

She turned to Iris' grave. "I will never forgive Zero for what he did. But I never blamed you. I knew you would rather die and go to hell than to intentionally hurt me, and anyone else on base."

"And yet, that's exactly what happened, right?" He said, looking up at her. "I fought all over the world, protecting and saving people that never knew me, some of which wanted to see me dead,

And yet,

I couldn't protect the people that I cared about the most.

That's what hurts so much. That's what haunted me mind and my though for a decade."

He stood up, and turned back to his sister's grave. "Every year, I come here, on the same day. And no matter what I think of or how long I think of Iris, I always get drawn back to Zero, to that night.

And that question haunts me. That question which, I traveled all over the world hoping to find the answer of in terror militant cells, psychic religious cults, anything I thought helped me get to the truth.

And I found myself getting no closer to the answer than 10 years ago when I started.

Alia,

Why did Zero do it?

Why did he, the man I once said I loved like a brother,

take 15 years of his life,

And throw it all away?"

He started to break down again. "Maybe, maybe if I knew the answer,

I could get on with my life. But I've had that question taunt me, and it's never gonna stop until I'm dead.

But I can't help but ask because,

What he did was just so insane and random,

I can't help _but_ ask it."

Alia hugged him, taking a moment to respond. "I wish I knew the answer Drew, I really do. I've asked it myself quite a few times, but I never figured it out. I just had to, had to accept it without that answer. But hey,"

She pulled his face close to hers. "I'll be here for you. The days of betrayal and torment are over. Lean on me for support, and promise to be there for me when I need a friend to."

Drew grinned. "Imperfect people, imperfect world right?"

She nodded. "Xavier Williams, someone else who got a worser ending than what he deserved."

"But at least we get a good ending?"

"At least for now Drew." She pressed her lips against his.

Drew had forgotten what being kissed by Alia felt like. That rush of passion. He pulled her closer to him…

"Ahheehehehem!"

The y both turned. Ace had been there watching them the whole time.

"As much as I hate to break up this moment, we are all currently dripping wet. I would like to continue this in a car!"

UUhhhhhhhhh, y-y-yeah sure." Alia stammered, embarrassed.

"Um, my car is around here somewhere..." Drew started looking away towards the parking lot.

Alia threw Ace the keys. "Okay, Ace, get to back to our car. I'll go with Drew, and we'll meet up somewhere for breakfast? Like a Denny's?"

"Actually Alia, we have to be back at Repliforce by tomorrow, we need to get an overnight flight, and return our rental car."

"I'll go with you to. My car's a rental too, but gotta go out in town and return it." Drew said, starting to walk down towards parking.

"I'll go with you…" Alia said, holding his hand on the way down.

As he watched to two go off, Ace took one last look at Iris' grave. He gave it a thumbs up, and a clap.

"Iris Williams, for getting Alia and Drew back together as a couple, you the real MVP."


	37. Walk Into The Web

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HOLLOWEEEEEEN!" Lan Hikari yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Would you shut up?" Maylu hissed? "Were all right here.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I KNOW RIGHT LAN? ITS SO CLOSE!" Roll Caskett cheered.

"Yeah, yeah, its Halloween, not 'Make Maylu go deaf day! One more person to yell and-"

"THINK OF THE CANDY ROLL!"

"THE DECORATOINS!"

"THE TV SPECIALS!"

"THE PARTIES!"

"THE CANDY!"

"THE FRIGHTS!"

"THE CANDY!"

WHAP! WHAP!

"OW! WHY ARE YOU SO PISSED?"

"YEESH MAYLU, CALM DOWN, THAT FRICKEN HURT!"

"Now that I have both of your attentions, let's talk about Halloween like adults." Malyu sat back down.

They were all talking in class at Echo Ridge Elementary, waiting for the bell to ring

"Anyway, let's all talk about the most important thing: the costumes!"

"Ooooh, your right Maylu, I haven't decided on my costume yet…" She sat back thinking. "Hey! Maybe you and I could coordinate! We could go as Frozen! I could go as Elsa, and you could go as Anna…"

"No, I want something unique… what do you have Lan?"

"Well, Rock is going as Iron Man, Roll is doing a cat, and I'm going to do Green Lantern, I have no idea what Geo is going as…"

"Well, Geo can tell us what he's going to be."

"I'm picking for him."

"Wow, he let you do that?"

"More along the lines of 'listen bro I got an idea for you so you're going to do it.' "

"Wow Lan, I didn't think of you as so controlling, what's wrong with you?"

Lan peeked out the door. "Speak of the devil."

"Hey guys." Geo said, walking in.

"GEO! Good to see you! Sup man!" He gave him a hug, erasing the serious tone he just had completely.

Geo waved to Maylu and Roll. "Hi girls, what are we doing today?"

"We are going to pick out a scary movie for all of us to watch in class. Who knows-" He put is arm around Maylu."Maybe I'll have you cuddling up to me by lunch!"

She dug his shoulder into his side. "Well, that's one nightmare I'm going to have to get out of my head before it haunts my dreams and sends me to a pit of despair." She got up. "I'm going to the bathroom, you all talk about your costumes!" She grinned wickedly at Lan as she passed by, mocking him as Geo had her back to her. _Now they're going to talk about why he can't, and Geo is going to have a chance to decide for himself. Don't worry; I got your back Geo._

Lan barley batted an eyelash. "By the way Geo, I got the perfect costume for you!"

Geo raised an eye. "You do?"

Roll gave a look of surprise. "You do?"

Malyu was also taken aback. "YOU DO?"

Lan smirked. "Yeah. Geo, you remember all those Kid Icarus games? You can go as Pit!"

Geo thought about it. "I guess…"

"Ah c'mon! Who else is going to be going as Pit? It'll be awesome! Besides, you can only pull off that look as a kid! Kid Icarus!"

Geo shrugged. "Okay, I guess, Pit is is!"

Maly stood with her mouth open. She had just been beaten out of nowhere. _HOW THE HELL DID HE COME UP WITH THAT ON THE SPOT? HE JUST PULLED THAT IDEA OUT OF HIS ASS AND RAN WITH IT!_

She was about to object, but Roll waved her hand no.

Lan looked at Maylu. He broke out laughing.

Malyu flipped him off as she walked down the hall.

"So, what did we miss?" Rock walked into the room.

"Rock! Great to see you!" Malyu welcomed him.

"Did you guys check the news?" Rock said. "They had the funeral in Russia today. That was the only thing they were talking about. The only other real thing was this pop star going missing."

He sat down. "Cossack's family will be in the States for Thanksgiving."

Maylu came back in as the bell rang. BRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

"I have a student president supplication sheet by the door. Sign before you leave today. But now, let's talk about the history of Halloween!"

* * *

Maylu put down her lunch tray. "Roll, you already know what to do. Send me the flyers tonight after soccer practice."

"K Maylu." Roll grinned. "Speaking of soccer, guess whose now on the bench now?"

She started dancing. "Thanks to Luna, coach decided to have Tron and her servbots warm up the seats for us!"

Maylu looked past her. "Speaking of Luna, what is she doing?"

Luna, Bud, and Zack were going about the lunchroom, passing out flyers.

"Halloween party at Luna's house guys!" Zack said, giving out flyers to a few students.

"And don't forget to vote for me for student class president!" Luna said with a smile, passing out papers to everyone at Maylu's table.

Lan read it. "Dance floor, massive pool, costume contest..." He grinned. " Thanks Luna, I'll be there."

"Great! The more the merrier." She gave Geo a look as she walked away. "Hope you can make it. It'll be fun."

Maylu looked to see when Luna was out of sight, and then shredded the paper. "Oh, she thinks she's got the drop on ME, does she? Well just you wait Platz, I'll.."

"Maylu, I say this because I care." Lan leaned across the table. "Your screwed. You've lost. Its already over. Don't go on and look pathetic in the race, or pull some crazy stunt..."

Maylu yanked his shirt collar. "You know something Lan, I dont appreciate you so openly betraying me and going to her party."

Roll tried to save him. "Maylu, Maylu, public place, public place. As therapeutic as hitting Lan would probably be, that's not the answer. He's right. She's throwing a bash, at the very beginning! No bake sale or art contest is going to fix that. And I like you not being in jail. So please, let this go."

Completley seething, Maylu released Lan. "She's a real snake." She said, giving her a dirty look behind Luna's back.

Noticing some out of place writing, Rock looked at Geo's paper, and then at him. Geo gave a subtle shake of his head.

"What are you two talking about?" Lan asked.

"Oh, nothing." Geo responded. "Rock was just talking about bobbing for apples like I'm a pony."

"Geo, I'll have you know that I can mathematically calculate the best way to win if you do it. C'mon, it'll be fun."

Geo got up. "I'm going to go get another apple." Taking the flyer with him.

Rock watched him crumple it up and throw it away. _Hope Luna isn't waiting for the phone call._

"But as I was saying, Maylu, when someone offers me a party, I'm not going to say no. The flyer says 5 pound bas of candy, GARUNTEED! It's gonna be great. Its the holiday season! Just sit back and enjoy ourself...''

* * *

_"So, we meet up at Luna's house at 7 Lan?"_

_"Yeah, make sure your costumes are good. Text all of us what you look like before you leave the house."_

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!_

_"Well time to get back to class_, _this is going to be the best Halloween party ever!"_

He sat back and smiled. "So, they're going to a party.

And in a house full of people, no one is going to notice two costumed boys disappear,

until its too late."


	38. Break the Machine

Halloween Night

* * *

"Have a great night boys! I'll be back around 11!" Ms. Hikari said, as Rock and Lan got out of the van.

"Aw, Mom, can I come with them? I can take care of myself, I'm a ROBOT like Rock, remember?"

"Yes but, I don't want to risk anything happening to you. Besides-" She whispered in Roll's ear. "I'm going to make sure you get three times the amount of candy they do."

Roll grinned from ear to ear. "That's awesome!" She waved to her brothers. "Later guys!"

As they drove off, Lan started looking around. "Okay, Maylu is Starfire from Teen Titans, and Roll is Dee Dee from Dexter. Geo is still Pit, now we just gotta find them..."

Rock started to walk down the black iron fence. "They're already here. At the top, near the front door."

"Ah, bonus of having a metallic brother: a walking GPS. Well then, let's not keep the waiting."

As the two walked up the sidewalk, they noticed that Luna's villa was actually quite big, especially comparing the area sizes of the homes in their neighborhood.

Geo saw them coming up. "Finally here, huh? What kept you so long?"

Lan grinned. "Just wanted to get in the party mood. Thanks for waiting. WOOOOO! Let's go!"

Walking in the door, they could already hear the music and saw several people dancing nearby.

Luna was there to greet them. "Welcome to the party guys!"

She grabbed Geo's arm. "I'm _so_ glad you could make it. C'mon, let's go dance, angel."

As she dragged him away, Geo mouthed to his friends. _Help me_.

Maylu was about to go after him, but Roll grabbed her arm. "Oh he'll be fine. Enjoy yourself, its a party!"

They started walked away. "Now, it said there was a killer haunted house section somewhere around here..."

That left Rock alone with Lan. "Okay, then, guess it's just us. What do you want to do?"

"Well, since everyone ELSE is splitting up, I think we should go our separate ways, amigo. I see some guys getting a water basketball game started, and you, ball is life. Sooooooooo, seeyah."

Rock sighed. It has been less than 5 minutes, and he was already alone. "Great, NOW what do I do? He found his answer a few yards away. "Oh well, better go stuff myself with sugar." he said, walking over to a huge desert buffet.

* * *

"Dr. Wily, Rock and Lan Hikari have arrived at the party."

"Good, isolate them, and or lure them away from the house, and sweep them away."

"I can just gas the entire area, it would save us a lot of time."

"That is the LAST option. I don't want any immediate outcries or detection. This is not only a kidnapping plot, this is a stealth operation. I've been thinking about what we can do with the children as ransom, and a few of my ideas will require a silent kidnapping..."

"I understand. Break Man out."

As he kept watching them, Break Man noticed that the party that the Hikaris had come with, had broken up just as fast as it had been created.

"Oh, I guess I won't have to wait night long. Time to move in."

He emerged from behind some trees, and slowly made his way uphill.

_And the best part? __I get to wear my costume. __So if one of the Hikari boys are Mega Man like I suspect,__He's really gonna be in for a treat, __and a trick._

* * *

In retrospect, Geo probably should have seen this coming.

And now, he had to figure out a way to get from dancing with Luna, and probably get the hell out of that party.

_Gotta get through this crowd!_ He started dancing away, but

"Why do you want to leave, were just getting started!" Luna said, pulling him back to her.

_Great, guess I'm stuck with Wonder Woman for a while._

Then, tango music started playing.

_Oh, you have got to be kidding mEEE!_

Geo found himself being swung around by Luna.

"You know," she started. "The best way to do the Tango is to look into your partner's eyes."

In-between looking into her eyes, Geo was looking at the door.

_Okay, there's only one door here, gonna tango to get close to it, then break for it._

Geo started taking the lead, slowly taking him and Luna across the room.

She giggled. "You're finally starting to get into it! Isn't this fun?"

He smiled back. "Yeah, it is. You're a great dancer."

She blushed, then leaned her head against him as the music changed. It became slow, long, rich ballroom dance music.

"Let's waltz Geo." She whispered, with a twinkle in her eye.

Geo found himself dancing toward the walls. _NOOO! C'mon, just got to turn toward the door..._

As Geo was trying to turn his feet, he tripped over and bumped another couple.

"Oh, sorry about that, I-"

"WATCH IT, JERKS!" Luna snapped.

The scared couple shrunk away.

"Sorry about that." Luna said back to Geo. " I guess not everyone's not as good a dancer as you."

Geo looked around. "What smells like beef jerky?"

"Luna, what happened?" Bud Bison rumbled through the crowd of dancers,

"Those brain-dead idiots over there got in our way." Luna said, pointing at the couple. "Get them outta here!"

Bud grabbed the couple and dragged them to the door, throwing them right out. He stood at the door, guarding it quite stoically.

"Geeeeee," Geo said, "Don't you think that was kinda harsh?"

"No, not really. It's not like I threw them out of the house. And besides, don't worry about them."

She hugged him close. "Tonight is about _us. _ This was all set up just for you."

With Bud Bison as the bouncer to the one entry/exit , and Zack Temple as the DJ, Geo wasn't sold on _us_, but he felt pretty sure he had been set up.

"I-I-I-"

She took his hand. "Hey, let's go in the closet for a minute." She added a wink as she pulled Geo aside.

Luna shoved him against the wall in the dark space."See? Isn't this better than being out there with the rest of them? Here, we can be,

_alone._"

Geo tried to push her off. "Listen, maybe this is going a little too fast..."

"Oh, what's wrong with you?" She said. "You don't talk to me, you don't call me, you ignore me. Why? Can't you tell that I like you?"

"B-B-But we don't even know each other!"

"We can _get_ to know each other. All relationships have to start _somewhere_. At least I'm trying."

She pressed her in front of his. "What's so wrong with someone trying to get close to you? With having someone _care about you?_

_All I want to be __is your friend."_

She kissed him against the wall.

Geo was paralyzed. He didn't think he wanted Luna, wanted a relationship, wanted anyone close to him. But,

_This __is, __nice._

He kissed her back...

* * *

San Jose, California

The first step was to lose the costume. Make sure not to be recognized.

In the private bathroom, there were several bags.

Putting on the morph suit, voices could be heard from the other side of the door.

_"_You in there? Get back out here, fast! We gotta-

Woah there! Don't you look good, Bride of Frankenstein! Hope your husband doesn't object to me!"

The voice wavered out among the others.

_He'll be distracted, time to go._

The windows propped up, and the large bag tried to go through the window...

"C'mon, I don't have time for you to be jammed."

After a good minute of punching it, the bag fell over.

_OH WAIT, I FORGOT SOMETHING._

The note in the old costume.

After leaving it on top of the toilet,

_check everything... __okay I think I'm good._

Hopping out the window, it was time to leave the grounds_._

Walking over to a black Acura, the bag was in the passenger seat as the engine started.

"Hope you don't object to me taking your keys, jerk."

Pulling out of the driveway, a familiar face came running down the lane.

"Time to see if all that Mario Kart paid off."

Hitting the gas, the Acura sped down the road, past the scrambling guards and party-goers.

After going as fast a possible for a few minutes, the Acura pulled over to the side of the road.

_Let's leave the bait._

The passenger side window swung open, and the bag was carried back around the road.

_They'll think I ran south toward the border,_

_when I actually ran north._

Smiling, running across the road.

Already hearing the sirens in the distance.

_See you guys never..._

* * *

_There you are Hikari_.

Break Man spotted him sitting on a table laughing, flashing a lightsaber around.

He got back up to get in a duel with some fellas.

Then something caught, his attention.

"Wait, is a that a _pinball machine?_ Luna has a _pinball machine?_ This house is amazing!"

With a twinkle in his eye, he bounced over to the machine. Taking out a quarter, he realized something was missing.

Stepping away from the machine, he went over to the dance floor, up to the DJ area, and started scrolling on the music player.

"Hey, you can't be here!" Zack Temple tried to get rid of him, but all the scrawny boy could do was wave his hands around. "Bud, help, quick!"

"Get down from there!" Bud rumbled to the DJ set, but could only watch as the boy jumped off and escaped.

"Nice try Bison, but I'm just a little too fast to get caught by a meathead like you."

With music blasting throughout the house, the boy had a self-satisfied smile and a flamboyantly trotted his way back to the pinball machine.

But then he took one last look at the dance zone and remembered something else.

"Eh, I wonder where Geo and Luna went."

With a shrug, he went back over to the machine with a quarter in hand and ready to pop it in, just to find someone else already lighting it up.

PINGPINGPINGPING! PINGDINGINGPIN! DING! DING! THOCK! PING! PING! THOCK!

"Ah damn!" A guy turned away from the machine in disgust.

"Eh, 35,600, not a bad score for the first time around. Let me try it..."

5,000,

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

"Wow, your really good at this!" The other boy said, giving him a pat.

Smiling, the boy kept concentration, feeling an adrenaline rush as his score kept going up.

55,000

60,000

65,000

70,000

57,000

He blinked. "Wait, what? I could've sworn I past 57,00 already."

He shook his head. "Just, forget the score, I just gotta, gotta keep going.

80,000

85,000

90,000

00,509

28,928

328,103

438983449

2094393334

5348034

He dropped to one knee. "I-I-I Idon, don, aaeeh...

the room started to spin around, going faster and faster,shapes became swirls of color, then into black darkness..

He collapsed at the feet of the pinball machine, as the ball rolled down into the slot.

GAME OVER

The other boy picked him up, and dragged him across the house, through waves of people.

"Excuse me, coming through, he just had a little too much of a party, don't worry he's fine, just a lightweight, party on. Ignore me please."

He took the boy outside and dumped him into some potted plants.

"Dr. Wily, I have one of the Hikaris in my possession, completely subdued. Going after the other one, right now."

"Excellent work Break Man, now once you have the other boy-"

"The other boy is right here." A new voice said, with his fists clenched

"I'll call you back doctor." Break Man turned his attention to the new figure.

"So you call yourself a hero, but can't protect your own? It was too easy, how I put him down and dragged his carcass out here. And now,

I'm going to do the same to you, take you to Wily, and hell, since I got plenty of time, come back for some goodie bags!"

"What did you do to my brother? I saw you put your arm on him, and seconds later he was lying down on teh ground! WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Beak Man laughed. "Easy, I want you both alive for now. A little bit of watered-down neurotoxin, and he's out like a broken light. He won't come to for another 12 hours. And that will leave plenty of time for me to finish you, and blow this dump. But if you want to stop me, why don't you just go Mega Man and I can see just how good you are for myself, Mega Man. Or should I say,

_Lan Hikari?"_


	39. Don't Bring A Ring To a Buster Fight

Lan was considering his situation. _ Okay, he doen't know Rock's Mega Man, and thinks that I'm the real threat. Okay, all I have to do is get Rock, and get back inside where he can't just take whisk us away to Wilyland._

"Oh, I get it." Break Man said.

"You do?" Lan said, panicking a little. _He knows I'm not really Mega Man, and is calling my bluff? NO! HOW DID HE-_

"You want to take this fight to where no one else can possibly see, where no little humans could ever be hurt? Fine then." He picked Rock up. "There's a meadow a little ways from here. If you want to see your brother again, catch up quick. I'll be waiting."

He floated away, leaving Lan wondering what do next. _Okay, I need backup._

He got out his phone...

* * *

He broke away from the kiss.

"What's wrong Geo?" Luna asked.

"Listen, this, this isn't me."

"What do you mean? You don't like this?"

"I'm just not into girls ri-"

"Oh, I get it." Luna said with a nod.

"You do? Thanks Luna, its kind of hard to talk about."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" She said with a wink and a thumbs-up.

As Geo got out of the closet, he felt a little nervous. _I don't think Luna and I were on the same page. And I have feel that's going to come back and bite me, but for now, _

_I just gotta get outta here-._

Geo turned, and out the window in the grass,

Lan Hikari was laid out, a whiff of smoke next to him.

_Oh no._

With his entire body shaking, Lan couldn't help but grin as Geo raced toward him.

"Lan! Are you okay? Where's your watch, are you having an attack?"

"No, worse. Rock's been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?! By who?"

"I have no idea, he looks like a Red Ranger." Lan tried to get up, but he fell back to the ground trembling."When I tried to call Rush, he blew up my phone. Geo, give me your phone so I can call Rush."

Dialing on Geo's phone, he got Rush and Roll.

"Hey Lan! Scooby-Doo and I have been up aaaaalll night, getting more treats that youuuuuuuuuu!"

"Roll, give Rush the phone, this is serious."

_Hello, yes this is dog._

"Rush, Rock's been kidnapped, follow me, and suit up. You better get as much sugar as you can this is gonna be a long night."

Geo helped Lan up. "Okay, so Rush meets with us here, and then what?"

"Well first, there is no us, and its not here." Lan started walking off into the woods.

"Lan where are you going? Are you going after that thing, that's insanse!"

"He thinks I'm Mega Man! If I can stall him, Rush can take him down and we can all live!"

"Lan, listen to yourself!" Geo grabbed him. "YOU CAN BARELEY FRICKEN STAND! THAT THING IS GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"It wants me alive. Besides, I have to go, or he's going to take Rock back to Wily's base. I don't have any other choice!"

"This is my chance to help! Rock is in trouble, and for once, I can do something about it!" He pushed Geo off.

"There has to be some other option, some other way! Don't you think he's going to notice when you don't show up in blue armor? Don't you think the other Masters are crawling around somewhere? DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU STAND A CHANCE?"

"The first: I do. The second, I do." Lan's face fell. " And the third: I don't.

Maybe, Rush will get there in time. Maybe Ill be able to come back alive But he'll definitely know something is up for sure if you show up too. And your no use to him, so you' probably die first. That's why I'm going alone. I might have a chance to survive. But if I don't and there's a good chance that I wont. Well,"

A tear came down his face. "At least your still gonna be here man."

Geo saw the determined look on Lan's face, and he knew Lan was right. "So, I guess this is this is it." He replied, staring to cry as well. "Well, if I lose someone else, someone else that I care about,

at least,

at least I get to say goodbye this time!" He said, hugging Lan. "You've been a brother to me for all these years. Thank you, thanks man."

"Right back at you man. But if I do come back, steal me a few candy bags."

"Consider it done, Lan. Bye."

Lan wiped away a tear as he walked into the wood. _That meadow isn't too far away, let's just hope he's patient._..

* * *

_My patience is running thin, Mega Man._ Break Man thought. He looked over at that boy Rock. _I already have one, maybe I'll just take him and go back to base, I know he going to follow me._

"Doctor!" Break Man turned on his intercom. "Want me to just grab to boy and go?"

"Well Break Man, what do _you_ want to do?"

Break Man thought about it. He didn't know if he should have it, but he always knew what he wanted.

"I want...

to destroy Mega Man,

and leave his corpse on the porch of Light Labs!"

"Well then, tell me when your finished. Oh, and take pictures. I'll leave you to it. Wily, out."

Turning his attention back through the trees, he noticed Mega Man approaching.

_This is gonna be fun, just me and you,_

_Hikari?_

Lan put his hand in the dirt, and slid down the ever-so-soft slope into the meadows.

A soft breeze covered the plains, and white dandelions blanketed the lowlands for miles.

"Beautiful night. I'll be honest, not a bad place to die there sure are worse." He said to himself as he touched down. He approached Break Man with an air of confidence. _Showtime, just got to hang in there long enough for Rush to arrive._

"Your not wearing your armor." Break Man said. "Why are you not wearing your armor?!"

"You seem that's just the thing. You've seen me with my armor _on_, you've seen with my armor _off_,

but yet,

I don't even know your name. So before we get started, I want _answers._ Who are you?"

The robot was slow to respond. Lan was wondering if it could see past his lies.

"Alright then. I'll grant you this last request." He said. "My, name, is Break Man, servant of Lord Doctor Wily."

"So, the old man made a copy of me specifically to destroy me? He is so pathetic."

"Do not insult me by calling me a copy of you. I have-"

"I mean, look at you. What's with the one eye, cyclops? Everyone else has two eye for a _reason_. And get rid of that stupid hockey mask, you look like Darth Vader Jr. And your not 2Pac, ditch the bandana."

"Do _NOT _underestimate me. I've been around longer than _you_, for your information."

"So, why is this your first night on the job? You could have been there during the invasion of DenTech City, the second DenTech City invasion, you weren't even with the other Robot Masters at the end of the attack on the Russian facility! Where have you been the entire time, in a coma?"

"I am a direct bodyguard and assistant to Lord Wily."

"Oh, so your his bitch."

Break Man took offense to that. "I am going to be the one that annihilates you off the face of the Earth and for all, and I'm going to do it, all by myself!"

Lan smirked. "Didn't Guts Man say the exact same thing. And look what happened to him. Bomb Man tried too, but, you just can't beat me by yourself. If I took down both of your heavies, what chance do _you _have?"

"Why don't you finally armor up and we can see?"

"Hold on, its Halloween man, I'm in a Green Lantern costume. Do I look ready for a fight? Do you think I can just change into Mega Man anytime I want?"

"I can morph into Break Man anytime I wish, so I _know _you can to."

Lan gasped, starting to sweat. _Okay, running out of chatter, Rush, get here fast..._ "So, why don't you show me what you really look like? I've given you the courtesy of me."

"It won't matter what I look like, all that matters is what I do."

"That's just code for 'I look like a Japanese Techno-punk with a red Mohawk.'"

Break Man was livid. "I have had enough of your mouth! I'll shut you up whether you fight back or not!"

Break Man's buster arm cannon started to glow.

Lan was frozen with fear. _WhatdoidoWhatdoido__WhatdoidoWHATDOIDO?_

Break Man pointed his buster at Lan, Lan could see the shot charging with energy.

Lan started looking around. _I can't fight this guy, and I can outrun him! _

_Rock! Please, get up!_

Break Man was getting ready to fire. "This is it!"

Lan covered his eyes and looked away. _Me and my big mouth..._

SCCCCCHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!


	40. Requiem For A

Smoke poured out of Break Man's Buster.

_Too bad that didn't work, Mega Man. _He though as he stared into the crater he had made.

Lan opened his eyes. Realizing he wasn't dead, he started checking his entire body, making sure he was really in the clear.

_Okay, okay I'm good._

Then Lan realized,

Break Man had his back to him.

_Wait, what we he aiming at?_

Lan look past Break Man to a fresh, smoking hole in the ground.

As he peered into the hole as the smoke cleared, Lan recognized a figure in the ground.

_Oh my God,_

_RUSH!_

Lan ran past Break Man, and dashed down into the hole.

Rush's entire left side has been blown open, exposing his inner gears and wires.

Lan, already breaking down in tears, held Rush's head in his lap.

"Oh my God Rush, I am so sorry."

"I told you to not underestimate me!" Break Man yelled. "Your disappearing act was a problem in the beginning. But that is what brilliant people like Albert Wily do. They solve problems."

He took a step forward. "And now, I'm going to solve the Mega Man problem."

Lan couldn't help it.

He as Break Man walked down, Lan charged, punching Break Man right in the jaw.

CRRRRIIIIIICK!

"AAAAAAAUUUGGGGHHH!"

Lan dropped to one knee, holding his hand.

"You know, you really shouldn't punch metal as hard as you can with your bare hand."

He picked Lan up by the throat, Lan's arms and legs swinging freely, trying desperately to get away.

"Time to put the kids to bed."

Electricity surged out of Break Man's hand.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZCCCHPHPCCHKKPTIIINGSSHSSSZZINGSPIKSSKSIZING!"

Lan felt as if his entire body was exploding.

"EEEEEEEEYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The entire

world

was spl

itting up,

fading

to

bla

ck.

In one la

st effo

rt,

he reached up,

and poked

Break Man in the eye.

ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPXIIIIINGK!

Break Man felt his own electricity go right back into his brain.

"AAAAAAAACK!"

As he fell over, he heard a voice call to him.

"Break Man! MY scanners indicate that you have taken serious neural damage! Come in Break Man!" Dr. Wily was screaming on the microphone.

He could afford to lose Bomb Man.

He could afford to lose Guts Man.

He could afford to lose any other Master.

But Break Man,

that was the secret weapon,

the ace in the hole,

the enforcer.

"Break Man! RESPOND!

BREAK MAN, STATUS REPORT!

BREAK MAN!

BREEEEAAAAKKK MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN...

* * *

_He found himself sitting in a sandbox in a playground._

_Children where frolicking about in the warm breeze of a nice spring day while parents sat and mingled on benches. The clouds being dabbed along the blue sky._

_"__Look et this!"_

_A toddler, wearing an orange vest and a bandana, was scrambling across the sand toward him. "A ladybug!"_

_Break Man recognized the boy. "Looks like you've made a new friend, Lan."__As the tiny insect was crawling across his arm, Lan giggled. "It tickles!" As the boy picked at it, it spread its wings and flew into the great spring sky._

_The boy waved to it. "Bye-bye!"  
__Turning his attention back to Break Man, the kid pointed to the slide. "Hey, let's go down the slide agan!"_

_"What? But Lan, we've already went down there 3 times!" _

_"Yeah yeah yeah, but this time-" Lan ran over to his red pail. Getting out a bubble wand and bottle, he started blowing bubbles in the air._

_"I wanna make a long one go aaaalllll the way down the slide!"_

_Break Man's eyes glimmered with the thought! "It would be so huge. Maybe we can even RIDE IT! Let's do it!"_

_The two boys dashed up the ladder to the slide. Lan sat in Break Man lap, holding the wand up. "3,2,1 GOOOOO!"_

_Sliding down, Break Man could see the bubble opening up. "Its really working!"_

_As the came to the ground, the two boys looked at their bubble, amazed._

_"That's the biggest bubble I've ever seen Lan!"_

_"It look like a big hot dog!" Lan started padding it around. "Es like a beach ball!"  
_

_Lan and Break Man started to bounce the huge bubble up, making sure it never hit the ground, keeping it up over and over and over and-_

_POP!_

_Break Man wiped the bubble water on his red shirt and jeans. "That was great! Let's make anotha one Lan?"_

_Break Man turned to his brother, who should have already responded. "Lan?_

_Lan!"_

_Lan was on one knee, hands covering my eyes, yelling. "OOWWWW IT'S IN MY EYES! IT HUUUUURRRRTS!"_

_Break Man calmed him down. "Ssshhhh its going to be okay. Just follow me."_

_Guiding Lan over to a water fountain, Break Man splashed water in the boys eyes._

_"It doesn hurt anymore." Lan said, hugging his brother. "Thanks Blues."_

_"Blues"_

_"Blues"_

_"Blues"..._

* * *

Break Man awoke from his dream with a start. _What, _

_was_

_that?_

Getting back to his feet, Break Man heard a voice.

"BREAK MAN! IF YOU DON'T RESPOND IN THE NEXT 3 SECONDS, I'M SENDING THE MASTERS!

3,

2,

1-"

"Relax Dr Wily, I'm still ticking."

Break Man heard a loud sigh com from over his intercom. Then a clap, then another loud sigh.

"Oh my God Break Man, I was terrified for a second. What was that? What happened to you?"

"Mega Man and his dog came in, ambushed me, and left with the Hikaris."

"So Mega Man _isn't_ a Hikari brother?"

Break Man thought it over. He was pretty sure that Lan called the dog in save him, not to attack him 2 on 1. "No. He's a separate little scrap of tin foil altogether. They got away. Mission failed. Returning to base. Break Man, over and out."

As he turned on his jets and got ready to leave, something caught Break Man's eyes. He stopped in his tracks.

_That boy, Lan Hikari_.

Lan was unconscious, just like the dog and the other one.

Break Man just stared at him. _I-I know you._

Every second Break Man just stared at him, Lan felt more and more familiar.

_I remember you._ Break Man thought to his memory in the park. Yes, yes he was sure he had met Lan Hikari before.

But

how?

Break Man thought about it.

_Lan is only 10 years old._

_I was with the other Masters when Dr. Wily saved us from Thomas Light and Yuichiro Hikari, in 1990._

_There is no way I should have ever met this boy._

Break Man began to doubt his memory. "Maybe it was all just a dumb dream..."

A terrible thought came to his mind. He ran security checks to his entire system. "Maybe that was a virus, maybe Lan _is _Mega Man!"

But after finding nothing to support his virus theory, Break Man was caught between two ideas, neither of them making sense.

_Was that a memory, or a dream? It-It has to be a dream, it just HAS to be._ _Its fake._

He turned his attention back to Lan. _right?_

It took him a minute to realize how stupid that question was, as if to expect an answer.

Shaking his head, Break Man turned off his jets and flew into the distance night sky.

But not without giving Lan Hikari,

one

last

look.


	41. Up and Over

A white SUV came rolling in over the meadows. Thomas Light was at the wheel.

"You see them yet Yuichiro?"

"No, but were close. Keep going." Dr. Hikari was following Rush's signal.

"There, I see them!" Huruka Hikari had spotted 3 figures with her binoculars.

Pulling up to the bodies on the ground, the 3 dashed out of the car to them.

"LAN!"Huruka said, holding her child. "LAN! SPEAK TO ME!" When Lan's limp body didn't respond, she broke down even more. "MY BABY!"

"Oh my God," Dr. Hikari said, looking at Rush. "Rush was hit bad, whatever attacked him, that thing packs a punch Rush in in trouble. This is worse than I though we need to get back to the Labs."

"Couldn't agree more." Thomas Light said, carrying Rock. "What ever it was, its more dangerous than any of the Masters." Dr. Light's cell phone rang. "Its Geo.

Hello?"

"Did you find them yet?"

"Yes, we have them. Geo, thank you so much for calling us earlier. Again, you didn't see what it was that took Rock?"

"All Lan said was that it looked like a Red Power Ranger."

"Alright then, Goodbye."

Dr. Light turned back to he son-in-law. "A Red Power Ranger. Albert's been busy working on new projects."

"Let's just hope there's not more..."

* * *

Geo checked his watch._ Its getting late._ He didn't feel like sitting around waiting for his mom to pick him up, all he would be thinking about is what happened to Lan.

He texted his mom. _ HEADING HOME, DON'T COME TO PICK ME UP._

Just as Geo was about to leave the party, he remembered something.

Walking over to the goodie bag section, he stuffed as many bags as he could into his brown side-pouches. _A promise is a promise._

Leaving Luna's villa, with the music blasting in the distance, Geo was left to think to himself.

_Lan, I don't know how you did it, but you got out of there alive. Better than what I could have done. Your the bravest person I've ever met._

_You gotta convince your grandpa to put you in the fight somehow I know it sounds crazy but,_

_Rock could use another hand,_

_and I know you could do it._

Walking across the bridge, Geo thought he heard someone.

_uoouououoou_

He looked around, and saw no on in sight. Just a bunch of dying trees in pale moon light and a cold wind greeted him.

He took another step.

_uoouououoouououoououoouo_

Geo looked around again, with more conviction than before. He knew how kids ended up missing, and what happened to him.

He started running across the long bridge. He heard the trickle of the creek water underneath.

Getting across the bridge, Geo looked back again to see if someone was following it.

_Maybe it was just my imagin-_

There was a figure lying on some rocks, underneath the bridge.

Geo lost his breath. Not looking, he slipped over a rock and fell to the ground.

Snapping back to reality, Geo got up and starting running the other way.

_Geo, REALLY? _A voice came into his head.

_There's somebody back there, in obvious PAIN, and your just going to leave them there?_

"I'm not trying to get kidnapped!"

_If they wanted you, they would have chased you, and probably already have gotten your scrawny ass by now. Stop thinking about yourself! C'mon!"_

Geo turned around, and started heading back for the creek.

_Sorry, dad._

Stepping under the creek, Geo was careful to watch his step. Falling this time meant using a rock as a cushion.

As Geo made his way to the figure, he came across an extra-large black duffle bag.

The figure reached out to it. It was a small person wearing a full body morph suit.

Geo began to notice red specks and wet splotches in the costume. Then he saw

"Oh no, your ankle's broken isn't it?" A nod was his response. "Here, let me call for help."

The figure put their hand on the phone and lowered it.

"What? you _don't_ want me to call for _help?"_

A head shake confirmed this.

Geo shrunk back. "Why not? Who are you anyway?"

He opined the duffel bag. The first thing he saw was clothes, and then,

The person tried to get the bag with the one good leg, but to no avail.

"Okay that's it." Geo put everything back in the bag and strapped it around him.

He immediately regretted his decision. "OOOFFF!" "Man, that thing is heavy!"

Taking the strap off him, Geo looked back to the person in the morph suit. They,

had their arms outstretched?

"Ugh, what are you doing? Do you want me to pick you up or something"

Another nod.

Geo really wasn't sure he trusted this person,

_but.._

"Fine."

With Geo, picking them up, the person reached for the duffel bag.

"Are you crazy? I can't carry that thing _and_ you at the same time. I'll come back for it tomorrow.

Geo felt the person struggle even more for the bag. He was starting to lose hit footing, something very dangerous with all of these rocks.

"I _promise_ that I'll come back for it tomorrow."

The person stopped struggling and stared right at Geo.

Geo was feeling creeped out by the faceless head staring at him. Behind that mask could be anything. For all he knew, he could be being used, that the person was just waiting to strike and dump him in a ditch. He didn't know this person, he dind't trust this person, but all he knew was that they needed help.

Beside, with the bad ankle and Geo being bigger, he was sure he could win a fight if the had to.

"Okay, let's go." Carrying the person back up, Geo walked toward Echo Ridge back home.


	42. Chain of Memories

_Lan woke up in a dark room. Everything was pitch black. Lan felt like the only person around for,_

_what seem to be miles._

_"Hello? Is anyone there? Rock? Rush? Mom? Dad?"_

_No answer._

_Lan tried to sit up, and realized he was being held down by a metal brace across his chest._

_ON NO! I MUST HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THAT ROBOT! I'M IN WILY HEADQUARTERS!_

_Lan struggled to slide out of the brace, but he could barley budge._

_Suddenly, the room started to shake._

_CRRRRRRSSSSSSSSNSSSSNSSNSKSNSKSNK! BOOOOBBBOOOOBOOOMTHOOOOOOOOMP!_

_Lan felt himself go up and down, left and right, and spinning._

_"HEEEEEEELLLLP!" He screamed. "SOMEONE HELP MEEEEEEEE!"_

_Even after everything settled, Lan was still screaming._

_Until, finally, he saw a light._

_Okay, at least I know I'm not al-_

_Peering closer, he saw something strange about the light._

_Wait, is that a-_

_He started struggling in the brace again. GOTTA GET OUTTTA NO NO NO NO!_

_The light Lan saw, was a flame._

_Suddenly, to Lan's side, another flame sprang up._

_Lan tried to blow it out, but the flame only started to spread._

_WHOOOOSH! Another flame poped up, this time near Lan's feet._

_WHOOOOSH! Another._

_WHOOOOSH! Another,_

_WHOOOOSH! And other._

_Fire was starting to consume the entire room. Lan was starting to sweat from the heat._

_"SOMEOOOOOOOONNNEEEE! ANYOOOOOONNNE! COME HELP MEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

_Suddenly, the flames starting moving back in toward Lan._

_"NO! NO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOO!" Despite putting everything he had into trying to get out, all Lan could do was watch as the flames grew and bunched up like waves from all sides,_

_then converge as they crashed upon him._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

* * *

Lan woke up in a cold sweat, sweating and shaking on every inch of his body.

_IT WAS ALL JUST A DREAM, ALL JUST A DREAM, ALL JUST A DREAM!_

He heard a voice outside a the door. It was Auto's. "Doctors, Lan is awake."

Lan heard chair legs sqeeeeeaaaak against the floor as his father and granddad came to see him.

"Lan!"

Lan sat up and gave his father a hug.

"Dad, w-w-what happened?"

"Just sit back in relax, Lan, I'm here."

"Ooooooooooough. My heeaaaad."

"You took a pretty nasty bump there to save Rock." Dr. Light said. "I'm proud of you Lan."

Lan looked around the room. "Wait, where is Rock..."

"Right here."

Rock stepped into the room, with a clammy and flushed face. "Lan, I'm so glad your okay.  
I

I

I'm so sorry-"

"Ah, don't worry about it." Lan said with a wave of his hand. "I know you'd do the same for me, right?"

Rock smiled, a tear coming down his cheek. "Right."

Auto came in the room. "Not to break up the moment, but do either of you remember what exactly attacked you? That Geo kid said it looked like a Red Power Ranger."

Rock shook his head. "The data in my memory banks is corrupted, I don't have anything to tell you."

"And just thinking about it makes my head hurt even more.."

Dr. Light laid Lan back down. "Don't worry about it Lan, you just get you some rest. Yuichiro, mind getting him his breakfast?"

"I''m on it Thomas." Dr. Hikari left the room.

"So Auto, how's Rush doing?" Rock said.

Auto shook his head. "Oh, he got blasted all right. I've been up all night trying to repair him. It's probably gonna take about another 5 hours."

Rock's face fell to the floor. "You know what?

I'm going out for a walk, get some fresh air."

As he turned to leave, Dr. Light said "Be careful Rock, whatever attacked you could still be watching you and hanging around."

Rock's entire body tensed up at the thought. "I'll be fine." He said, as he walked out.

* * *

_I still can't believe, _

SKTCHKKKKKKKK!

_That the great and mighty Mega Man,_

SKTCHKKKKKKKK!

_Was taken down in mere moments,_

SKTCHKKKKKKKK!

_by a mechanical Enzi Auditore!_

SKTOOOOOOOOOOooooooo...

The can he was kicking flew out into the air.

_Because I was such an idiot, my brother had to get electrocuted just to bail me out!_

_We both should have been captured, or killed!_

_I don't know why that guy attacked me, but when I find him-_

His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy dragging sound.

Geo Stelar was coming up the sidewalk, carrying a black duffle bag.

"Hey Rock." He said, taking a moment in to catch his breath.

"Sup Geo. Um, what's in the bag?"

"Oh, just a telescope and some other stuff. Why did you come all the way to the Ridge?"

"WHAT?" Rock whipped his head around. "What do you mean this isn't Dentech City?"

Sure enough, Rock didn't recognize a single street sign. "Ugh, I'm stupid." He said, face palming. "I can't even tell what neighborhood I'm in."

"No, your not. You just have a lot on your mind. Here," Geo gave Rock the bag. "You mind carrying this thing back to my house?"

"No problem. I owe you one for last night."

"So-" Geo said, giving the back to Rock. "How's Lan doing?"

"His brain got fried a little, but he'll make it, a full recovery in about a week or so."

"And you?"

"Me? I'm just fine, justI aching a little."

"Now how do you _feel?"_

Rock paused for a minute. "I feeling fine. No-No harm done right? We all got out okay. Bad days happen..."

Geo just looked at him. "Rock, this is _me_ your talking to. Tell me how you really feel. Get it off your chest."

Rock took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Okay, you want to know how I feel?

The truth is I feel like a complete failure.

I mean, just look at my track record.

I get my ass kicked up and down downtown Dentech City. If it wasn't for every soldier in the American military waking up and not scrambling the Master, I would have died on my first night on the job!

Dr. Light's invisible technology was the only reason I didn't get blown up the second time.

If those government guys didn't show up, I would have been metal scrap in the Russian Siberia.

And now, I can't even protect my own brother, who has to stick his neck out for me, just to save me from Boba Fett!

And the worst part,

the WORST PART OF IT ALL IS,

I'M SUPPOSSED TO BE THE BIG HERO,

THE ONE EVERYONE LOOKS UP TO, THE ONE EVERYBODY IN THE WORLDS TRUSTS TO SAVE THE DAY,

TO STOP WILY,

AND I CAN'T DO A DAMN THING!

FACE IT GEO, I'M WORTHLESS!

I SHOULDN'T BE ALIVE!

I DON'T DESERVE TO BE ALIVE!"

Rock sunk to the ground, burying his face I his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"Rock, that's not true."

"HOW IS IT NOT TRUE?"

"Look at what you've done when you've had a real chance. You beat Bomb Man by yourself.

You beat Guts Man by yourself.

And besides, despite all the beatings, your still here. That counts for _something_. At least you know your tough enough to take enough punishment.

Even if your not a master at this, your good enough to get by. Now you just gotta get better.

Rock, your all the world has. And I trust you.

And apparently, you matter so much to someone that they are willing to get barbecued over you. Now come on-" Geo helped Rock up. "You can still do this Rock. Just get back up on your feet. Your not alone, and you never will be."

Rock smiled. "Thanks Geo."

Getting to Geo's house, Rock peered in the door as he gave Geo the bag. " Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've ever been at your place. You mind if I come in?"

"Um, sorry, not right now. Mom came in last night a little drunk, she's lying down right now. I don't want to wake her up."

"Okay then, It's cool. I'll stop by some other time."

"Yeah man thanks for the bag. See you later."

"Bye Geo."

* * *

"So, I just assume you spent all of last night partying at Luna's house, probably watching a movie. While I was saving the fate of the world." Lan Hikari bounced a baseball against the wall.

"Its too bad all that shock therapy didn't turn you into a likeable person." Maylu Sakurai threw a Reese's at him. "Consider that your reward, punching bag."

"Mom's got curry cooking in the kitchen, you should stay."

"Why? So all I have to listen to over dinner is how brave little Lan is? Give me a break. I think I'll take my meal to-go."

Lan smirked. "I love you too. So, where is Caskett? Did you push her away with the same charming disposition?"

"No. Glyde never came to pick Roll up, so she decided to finally walk home around midnight."

"Is she okay? Nothing happened to her right?" Lan started to look a little worried. "There _was_ someone dangerous out there last night. You _did _make sure she got home, right?"

Maylu's face broke instantly. Terrified, she reached for her phone, hands shaking. "Ohmygodyesshetextedlastnight." Maylu said, with gasps of relief."

She sat on Lan's bed. "Oh yeaaaah, I remember now. She texted me at like 3 A.M. I threw my phone across my room to shut it up.

Soooooooo-" She clasped her hands. "I oughta check about that curry." She turned to leave the room.

Lan grabbed her hand. "Listen, Maylu-"

Maylu wretched her arm away. "Oh, its alright." She added a smile. "Everything's just fine Lan." She hurried the down the stairs.

Lan was still about to go after her, then he crumpled to the floor, clutching his head.

"AAACK! Uuuughhh..."

GAAH!

He crumpled to the ground, clutching his head.

a vision came in his head.

_That, that red robot,_

_from last night._

Still holding his head, he crawled over to his desk, got out a notebook, and started drawing the robot.

Getting down every detail, Lan that about his name.

_B-B-B-Break Man. That's it, Break Man!_

Lan's head started to reside, and he leaned against the desk panting.

_Well... that wasn't so bad. And at least I remember Break Man now._

_I better go tell Granddad and Rock..._

But as Lan went to get up, the pounding in his head came back, beating him back down to the floor.

_EEEEEAAAAAGGHGHGHGH! MY HEEEAAD! IT HURTS SO MUCH!_

_I_

_I_

_I_

_remember..._

* * *

_"BLUES!"_

_Lan was breaking down in tears. A blue robot had just opened a window, leading into the pitch black of night._

_"BLUES! BLUES PLEASE!" Lan pleaded. "PLEASE DON'T GO!"_

_Lan could see tears running down Blues' black visor, he was crying too. "I'm sorry Lan, but-but,_

_ I have too."_

_"But WHY? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO?"_

_Blues lowered his head. _

_"Mom, and dad, and grandpa. They're,_

_they're gonna get rid of me."_

_Lan shook his head. "No, no they won't!"_

_"You didn't see what I saw. I saw-"_

_Break Man paused, and look outside._

_He stepped down form the window._

_Lan smiled. "I knew it! Your not gonna leave me!"_

_Blues turned to face Lan. "Its not that Lan. I can't have you telling on me. I need some time to get away."_

_Lan's smile turned to horror as Blues took a step towards him."No! I-I-I WON'T LET YOU!"_

_As Lan started running away, he tripped over a floorboard, and crashed into the ground._

_"Don't make this even harder Lan, PLEASE!" Break Man said, walking over as Lan got to his feet. He put his head on Lan's forehead._

_"You don't have to go." Lan said, in one last effort to keep his brother._

_"Yes, I do. Remeber, Lan, don't trust your family." He lifted up his visor, showing his hazel eyes, rimmed with red._

_"I'm sorry Lan. I love you."_

* * *

Lan snapped out of his dream, again shaking. _Who,_

_who is Blues?_

_And,_

_what,_

_was,_

_that?_


	43. Dancing With Devils

"So, I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! And now that you should have all got that sugar rush out of you and crashed, let's learn about the early European settlers, the Pilgrims!"

Roll Caskett waved that off. "Pff! Only amateurs eat their candy all at once. I'm saving mine until Thanksgiving."

"She's right people." Bud Bison added. " The way a ration my candy, I'm not seeing my toes until New Year's, and that only lasts a month and a half until I get my hands on marked down Valentine's Day candy."

Lan turned and whispered behind him. "By the way, thanks for all that extra candy, Geo. You the real MVP."

"No problem. I had the easy job." Geo smiled and winked.

"So, after Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, the next hundred years was a European race for resources in the Americas. The English took up the coastal Eastern US. Can anyone tell me which states?"

Maylu raised her hand. "Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York,North Carolina, and Rhode Island."

Ms. Mari nodded. "Correct Maylu. Now, in 1621, colonizers of Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, were on the brink of disaster as winter approached. What little food they scavenged was extremely inadequate, and it looked like they were going to die from cold and starvation.

Until finally, Native Americans, led by Squanto, helped the Pilgrims learn how to plant vegetables, like corn and squash. The Pilgrims gathered what they needed to sustain the winter. and to celebrate this new-founded friendship, the two groups had a 3 day feast we now called Thanksgiving."

Roll whispered across to Maylu. "And boy, would the Indians regret that in a few hundred years..."

"Now, what will you guys be having for Thanksgiving? Turkey with stuffing? Cranberry sauce? Sweet Potato Pie? Finger foods like sliced sandwiches and Deviled Eggs?"

"Stop. Your making my mouth water." Lan spoke up.

Mr. Mari laughed. "Well Lan, after you've had what I'm sure will be a huge Thanksgiving dinner, you can start working it off at the Thanksgiving Dance the next night at 8!"

"Do I gotta show up in a Pilgrim costume? Because I'd just rather avoid looking at the school altogether and enjoy my Thanksgiving break from my couch."

Ms. Mari waved it off. "No, we did that last year. It was..unsuccessful. No. This year, its modern formal clothing."

"Okay, got it. Not sure if I'm gonna come, buuuuuut I might."

Lan got up. "I'm going to the bathroom, be right back."

Stepping into the bathroom, Lan noticed he had a little maple syrup on his face.

"Geez, thanks Rock, really know how to help a guy clean up on his blindspots."

He looked down, getting some water from the sink.

He looked back up and-

_Break Man?_

Break Man was right behind him.

Lan whirled around terrified. "Stay back!"

Break Man took a step towards him.

Lan was thinking about running out the bathroom. _But then, the others!_

Break Man reached his hand out, slowly walking to Lan.

Lan couldn't move, he didn't know what to do.

All he could do was watch as Break Man came toward him and turned

_blue?_

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Lan, are you alright in there? We heard you screaming."

It took Lan a moment to

realize...

_...it..._

_was aaaallll in my,_

_head._

Lan took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'm good." he said, as he stepped out of the bathroom. "Look, a tarantula came from outttaa toilet. And it was thiiiiiiiiis big!"

* * *

Lan thew down his bookbag as he walked into the underground Light Labs. "Grandpa, I'm home!"

He was surprised as he came across Mikhail Cossack sitting in front of a television, half-done drinking a 12 case of beer.

"Woah, ! When did you start drinking so heavy?"

"Since I started watching this."

It was the funeral for all the Russians killed by Guts Man's attack. Russian flags flew in the snowy breeze. Massive crowds came out in droves, waves of mourners came out dressed out in black, reaching miles.

In the front was Kalinka Cossack, holding a sign that said: I MISS YOU DADDY, with a little pink heart underneath.

"Yeah, your grandfather and I, are working on a new project. Its a robotic bird that delivers messages. He's somewhere around the labs working on it right now. "

"Oh, so mecha-Hedwig is gonna deliver your message. What's it gonna say?"

"That I'm still alive, and to come to the US."

He took another swig. "Boy, I just saw my own grave, my own... tombstone. Let me tell you something, there isn't anything more sick, nothing that makes you more sick to the damn pit of your stomach, than watching yourself die."

"Well, at least its an empty casket. Besides, they should be in here JUST in time for Thanksgiving."

"I sure hope so boy. I suuuuuureee hope so." He said, as he finished off another bottle.

"Maaaybe you shouldn't watch that anymore. Isn't there anything else in the news today?"

"Just something about some celebrity brat going missing on the run."

"K." Lan was looking around, really hoping or Auto or _someone_ would save him from this uncomfortable conversation.

"You know, I just remembered, my friends' soccer game!" Lan rushed out of the Lab.

"Love talking to you too boy. Catchya later." raised his new bottle as Lan dashed for the elevator."

* * *

Rock raised his glass of root beer float. "So, congrats on another game won, Captain Maylu!"

"Thanks. Were looking in great shape for the playoffs, they start in 3 weeks!" she said, sitting down a platter of fries.

"Great. I'll catch every minute of it."

"Okay, that's one of our fans." Roll Caskett sat by them, munching on hamburger sliders. "Grandpa spends all day and night in the basement working on a project. And that's when he's _home. _He Skyped me last night from Denmark. I didn't even know he was gone! He might as well be a ghost! And when I do see him, he look so _tired_ and stressed."

She sighed. "I've been trying to hack into Grandpa's computers to see if I can find a clue as to what he's working on, but he's tightened security on all of his systems since he found out someone's got into his system in July."

"Wow. I wonder how that happened." Rock got back to sipping his Coke.

"Well gee. I'm sorry Roll. Will he at least be able to spend time with you for Thanksgiving?"

"I hope so. But if not, I hope you save me a seat at your table."

"Speaking of Thanksgiving-" Lan started, finishing his ice cream cone. "Hey Maylu, you wanna go to the dance with me?"

Maylu almost choked on a fry.

Roll slid over next to Rock. "Ssssshhhh. Just watch. Its happening."

Maylu was regaining her breath. "Diid-di-did you just ask me on a date Lan?"

"Well, actually I was thinking that I no one shows up, at least I won't have to dance with a teacher."

"Well, if your gonna lowball me like that, you're answer is no way, Lan."

He stood up. "Hey, I tried. Getting another cone."

While he was in line, Luna walked up to him. "Soo, heard you got rejected by Maylu."

"Meh. I'll be fine."

"You know, you can still go to the dance with someone."

"Really?" Lan thought about it. _Luna? Meh, I could do worse._

"Yeah. Hey Lan. I was just wondering. How, _open_, are you as a person?"

"Um, I'd consider myself a rather open person. I'm like the Bud Lite commercials, up for whatever."

"So, you would consider going to the dance with someone _unusual?_

"Yeah. Uh, where is this going? Are you asking me out, or asking me to take out one of your friends...?"

"You could say its someone we both know. A friend. Just, keep an open mind, will you Lan?"

"Sure." Lan said, walking away with his ice cream.

"Great! Talk to you later!" She waved goodbye.

Rock was finishing his drink. "So, Dr. Light called me, apparently they had that mass funeral today for the Robot Master attack at the Russian research facility."

Maylu leaned in. "Oh my God, I forgot all about that."

"Yeah, Dr. Cossack is really messed up about it. is building a robotic bird, Beat, I think, to help him message his family. they think he's been dead all this team."

Roll put down her burger. "Wow. And I thought I had family problems." She got out her phone. "Maybe Granddad messaged me..."

"Whoa, what's with all the long faces? I was the one that got shot down. What did I miss?"

"Nothing." Maylu looked down at her platter. "Hey Lan, about that dance...

I really don't have anything planned for Friday night. I'll go to the dance with you."

Her phone started ringing. A car horn honked outside. "Those are my parents." She got up. "Well talk later tonight, okay? See ya."

As she walked away, Lan looked at Rock. "What did you say to her Rock?"

"I didn't say anything to her about you." He reached over to her platter. "I will get her half eaten fries though."


	44. Plug In

One Week Later

* * *

"Everyone, come into the labs. I have a major announcement!" beamed with pride as the Hikari family entered the basement.

"Dr. Cossack, its 3 in the morning. What is it?" Lan came stumbling out of the elevator, bags under his eyes. Rock lazily grabbed the back of Lan's pajamas to keep him standing, or at least learning without falling over on his face.

"It took me all night, but I finally finished me and Dr. Light's new robot."

"Congratulations Mikhail." Dr. Light came out of a lab room, yawning. "Since I was passed out in the corner, I'll let you do the honors."

"Thank you Doctor." walked over to a table. He picked up a reZte and pushed a button. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, beasts of all man"

"Just get on with it!" Lan yelled.

"Now presenting... Beat! The Messenger Robot!"

A small, round, blue bird came out into the room. "Tweet! Tweet! Hello everyone! Pleasure to meet you all!"

Lan gave a meager wave. "Hello, fat Tweety-"

Rock smacked up him upside the head. WHACK! "There!" He said with a terse whisper. "That should wake you up! Be respectful!"

Dr. Hikari applauded. "Well done Mikhail! So, how does it work?"

"I'll show you!" Dr. Cossack pressed another button. Beat flew over to him. "Ready to record you message, Dr. Cossack!"

"Okay, okay, give me a second." Dr. Cossack, completely trembling with excitement, got out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. "Rock, do you mind changing into Mega Man for a second?"

Beat's eyes went wide like a video camera. "Recording in 3...2...1..."

"Здравствуйте, Александра ? Да, это я. Нет, это не является обманом. Ее действительно меня. Я выжил робот Master нападение, и меня в Калифорнии. И посмотрите, кто у меня есть с, Mega Man!"

(Hello, Alexandra ? Yes, it's me. No, this is not a trick. It's really me. I survived the Robot Master attack, and now I'm living in California. And look who I have with me, its Mega Man!)

Dr. Cossack pulled Mega Man into the camera. Rock smiled and gave a little wave.

"Я знаю, что все это должно быть таким запутанным и неожиданно, но пожалуйста. Я вас не хватать, я упускаю Калинка, я упускаю нашей семьи. Я хочу, чтобы это так плохо. Если можно пожалуйста, только в Калифорнии. Я с красивым семьи под названием Hikaris. И после того как здесь, может быть, есть своего рода это все. Только пожалуйста, получите Калинка и выброшены здесь для меня. Если вы можете сказать "да", пожалуйста, отправьте этот bird машину назад, когда вы планируете любви. До свидания уже сейчас, и я люблю вас обоих."

(I know all of this must be so confusing and startling, but please. I miss you, i miss Kalinka, I miss our family. I want it back so badly. If you could please, just come over to California. I'm living with a nice family called the Hikaris. And once your here, maybe we can sort this all out. Just please, get Kalinka and fly out here to see me. If you say yes, please send this bird machine back when you plan to love. Goodbye now, and I love you both.)

"Finished Mr. Cossack!" Beat's eyes went back to normal.

"Okay, now deliver this to Alexandra Cossack in Russia, as fast as you can!"

"Alrighty then! Stand back everyone!" Beat's turned the engines in his wings on. "Destination; Russia. Estimated time; 12 hours.

The passage that led from the to the surrounding wilderness opened, and Beat took off into the night sky.

"Soon..." Dr. Cossack whispered, staring into the black.

Lan yawned. "Well, if its all the same to you, I'm going off to St. Sleepursburg in 12 minutes. See you guys at a reasonable hour."

* * *

Geo Stelar picked up his bookbag, and walked to the door. "Okay, Mom, I'm off to school, love you!"

"Love you too Geo, see you later." Hope Stelar was packing her lunch, ready to off to work in a while.

"Okay, got my strawberry smoothie, my chicken salad..." She strapped on her purse. "Ready to go!"

BRIIIIIINNNGG! BRIIIIIINNNGG! BRIIIIIINNNGG! It was Ken.

"Hey Ken, your calling here kind of early? Did something go wrong?"

"Yeah. It's the state's bi-yearly surprise health and safety inspection, with a free fumigation. So, uh, yeah. Don't even bother coming to work today. Consider it a free day off."

"As tempting as it is to hang up and kick back for a day, are you sure you don't you need my help? I was just about to leave anyway."

"No, it's really just a bunch of legal stuff and paperwork. You uh, did organize all that stuff before you left work last night right?"

Hope had to chuckle at that. "Yeah, everything should be where its supposed to be."

"Well, with you making me look good holding down the fort all by myself, you deserve a day off. So, forget about work today, I've got it all handled. I know I wouldn't want to be here, no use swamping you in this too. So, I'll see you tomorrow. And if anything comes up, I'll call. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Thanks Ken, see you tomorrow." Hope set the phone down, knowing that while Ken Suther could get Big Wave by inspection alone, the goofball might have put on quite a show doing it.

"Okay, might as well catch up on Game of Thrones until Geo gets home."

Sitting on the couch, watching Netflix, she realized the full laundry basket in front of her.

_Oh well, might as well do SOMETHING productive today._

After sorting through clothes, Hope found a pair of... girls' underwear.

"The hell?!" She nearly dropped them in surprise. _T__hese are way to small for me._ She thought to herself, immediately checked the tag on the bag._ Just what I thought, these are kids sized._

She thought about where they could have come from. _Did these come from someone at Geo's school. But really? Stealing panties and putting them in other kid's bookbags? Is that what children do nowadays? __But either way, how would they have gotten in the washer? Geo would have had to take them out of his backpack to put them in. So he MUST'VE known about it. __And he didn't tell me? Did he take some little girl's underwear and steal it away in his backpack?_

She shook her head at the thought. _No way would my Geo ever do something like this. Unless Lan somehow roped him into it. But that's still rather extreme, even for LAN. I know Haruka would raise her child better than that. __Then if it's not Geo, how the hell did these get in my laundry basket?_

She thought back to the house party she had on Halloween. _How drunk was I at that party? _A few friends had picked her up, and the rest of the night was a blur._I got home, but I woke up on my couch, less than formally dressed, __so... maybe I brought these home and forgot all about them? __That's the only scenario that makes sense here... yeah, it was probably me._

She got up with the underwear, went into the kitchen, and stuffed it deep in the trash can.

_I'm not even gonna ask Geo about it, no use bothering him about it before Thanksgiving. I never did give him 'The Talk' did I? Maybe I should get around to that._

She went into the garage. _Might as well get down some Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations while I got time. We probably gonna spend both days at the Hikaris, but it might help get Geo into the holiday spirit. __Lord knows he could use it... but ever since Lan's brother came to town, he's actually been doing okay. __Wish he would spend more time with me, but I guess beggars can't be choosy._

Climbing up the ladder, Hope popped up into the attic and turned on the light.

Her heart stopped as soon as she saw it.

A small fan was blowing air on a blanket that was covering a lump on an inflatable mattress.

Hope almost fell down the ladder with shock. Regaining her balance, she scrambled down the ladder and ran back into the kitchen.

_OMYGOD__OMYGOD__OMYGOD__OMYGODTHERESSOMONEIMYHOOOUUSEE! _

She reached for the phone to dial 911...

_Wait, no. You're a big girl Hope, you can deal with this yourself. I mean, they're probably still asleep.  
_

She retrieved a Chinese cleaver from the drawer, the weapon trembling in her hands.

Climbing back up the ladder, Hope was ready to do anything to defend her son.

Clutching the knife, she crept up next to the bed.

With her entire arm shaking, Hope grabbed the blanket cover, pulled it back, and... it was a little girl.

She was wearing a pink jacket. The hood was off her head, revealing her purple hair.

Hope couldn't believe that. _Isn't that Sonia Sky? _

Sonia Sky, an international pop star and child prodigy, had gone missing while being at a concert after-party in Fresno Halloween night. The only clue recovered was a note in the bathroom that said

_"My contract expired on Halloween, and I'm not resigning. As of now I'm retired. __Don't look for me, I don't want to be found."_

Social Media and the news was blazing talking about her, and there was an ongoing police investigation.

And now here she was, sleeping in her attic?

Suddenly, the girl stirred, and slowly sat up, opening her green eyes.

"W-W-What's going on.."

Her eyes fell on the knife.

A brief moment of silence.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!"

The girl darted back as Hope dropped the knife like it was a hot coal. _SHIT__SHIT__SHIT__SHIT__SHIT__SHIT__SHIT__SHIT__SHIT_

"NO! Stop screaming! Stop screaming! I'm not gonna hurt you! Just calm down!" She kicked the knife off the ladder down to the floor. "See, the knife's gone now. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not gonna hurt you. Just come down with me."

Hope reached out her hand. "Just walk down these steps we, okay sweetie?"

The girl looked a Hope's hand for a second. Reluctantly, she crawled across the bed and took in Hope's hands.

"Okay." Hope nodded, adding a smile. "Let's just come down real slow now.."

* * *

"Is there anything I can get you? Here, lemme get you a sandwich." Hope started rummaging through her refrigerator.

"Th-hhhank you." The girl replied.

"So, are really Sonia Sky?" Hope asked, getting bread out of the bag.

"Ye-eah, that's me." She nodded her head for emphasis.

"Well, what are you doing in my attic? Don't you know that every cop in California is looking for you? How many of your fans are worried about you? You're still a minor you know, you can't just run off."

Sonia's head lowered at the mention of her fans. "With all due respect... I REALLY don't want to talk about being a pop star. I just really want my sandwich now."

"Well, here it is." Hope put the sandwich on the counter. "Butcha know kid-" As Sonia started taking bites, "being a pop star is the only reason you're here. So we have to talk about it _sometime_."

Sonia put down her sandwich. "Yeah, I guess we do." She pushed the saucer away. "I'm not hungry anymore."

Hope leaned across the counter. "Look, if you're worried about the police, don't. I'm not gonna turn you in." _At least not yet. _She thought.

Sonia's entire expression changed. "Your-your not?" She was completely surprised. "But why?"

"I'll answer your question with a question." She smiled. "Why did you run away and stop being a pop star? In just one sentence."

"Well..." Sonia thought about it. "I guess it was... it wasn't what I wanted."

"You see? I know how that feels."

Sonia eyes her suspiciously. "You do?"

"Yeah. Now I know, I don't have the drama of a world-renowned celebrity, but their were times in my life where everything was just over my head. I didn't know what to do, and everything was falling apart for me."

"So, what did you do?" Sonia asked.

"I found a good friend. Quite a few friends actually. And they were able to help me pick myself up, and keep me up. To get by in life, you always have to be around the right people. And I think it's time I be a friend for someone else. So you know what? We can talk about this later. C'mon

I have a Kinect we can play a few games on."

"Really? Thanks Mrs..."

Hope flashed her a smile. "Call me Hope." She said as she turned on the Xbox.

"Um, Hope? I don't mean to be nosy but, what exactly did you mean when you said you were over your head?"

"Well, I was very young, and I had to take care of someone even younger than me, what looked like all by myself."

Hope chuckled for a second. "Maybe you've met him already. He's my son, Geo."


	45. Incomplete

Ace C. Eos rolled up the parking lot in his blue and red Mustang.

Honking his horn, he was trying to usher his good friend Colonel out of the building so they could get the hell out of Repliforce base.

As he watched the fromnt door, he saw Alia rushing out. "C'mon Drew, we have to leave now! Were gonna miss our flight!"

"Yall two going somewhere?" Ace yelled out.

"I'm going back to Seattle. Our flight leaves in 30!"

"Drew staying with you for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, I just hope he doesn't expect a 4-course meal." Alia responded as Drew finally came outside. "okay Drew, lets go lets go lets go!"

"Just remember Drew, the more the merrier at my place! Just call!"

* * *

Seattle, Washington

12 weeks, of hard work, day in, and day out. and 12 weeks of absolute war. And it had all come down to this.

8 seconds on the clock left. Down 20-24. At their own 30. They had been in a lot of close calls before, they just needed to win one more time.

"Axl? AXL! YOU GOOD MAN?"

He got back into focus. "Yeah man!" he said to the quarterback. "What we gonna do?"

"TRIPS HAIL MARY LEFT Y-CROSS! AXL! I GOT YOU ONE-ON-ONE MAN LETS DO THIS!"

Axl was the fastest player on the team. He had burning the DBs all day.

As they were breaking formation, Axl looked past the sideline and into the crowd.

_Shit mom! Your still not there..._

Alia said she had to go to Milwaukee to work on a case.

"DOWN,

SET,

HIKE

Axl went up the field, moving right towards the middle of the field.

As the other WRs crossed over him, Axl swung his hip, and EXPLODED back over to the left sideline.

The defensive backs were blown away by Axl's burst of speed. One stumbled trying to turn, and the over one completely fell over.

45,

50,

As Axl looked for the pass,

45,

_Wait, is that?_

_MOM!_

Alia was running through the entrance gate and almost into the bleachers, when she stopped in front of the chain-link fence.

_Mom, you actually showed up!_

40,

And then suddenly, another figure showed up from the darkness.

A tall, husky man came jogging past, wrapped from head to toe is sweaters, jackets, and scarves came up from behind Alia.

Axl couldn't believe his eyes, he was stunned.

_Wait a second,_

36,

_Isn't that the guy,_

32,

_That's the guy that came over that one time!_

28,

_But-But, But That was all just a dream! THAT, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!_

25,

Axl noticed Alia's head was turned upward, her mouth gaping open.

_Wait, what she looking at-_

_OH SHIT THE BALL!_

The ball was just over Axl's head, and

sinking as fast as a stone.

_CMON! _Axl dived for it, hands outstretched. _CMONCMONCMONCMONCMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!_

The ball slipped right between his fingertips...

THOOOOOOOOOOMMMPPP!

Axl didn't hear the final whistle, he had a buzzing in his ears. Nor did he hear the cheers of the enemy team, the final roar of the crowd, the moans of agony of his teammates. He didn't even hear his name being called to get up. He just laid on the ground, looking at the ball that was just a few feet away.

As his teammates finally lifted him off the ground, Axl finally took his eyes off the football.

And then he saw,

The man wrapped his arm around Alia's shoulder.

It took Axl a minute to realize she was calling out to him.

_Axl!_

_Axl!_

_Axl!_

All Axl did was look back and stare as he was carried into the locker room.

* * *

Alia looked on panicking as Axl was taken to the locker room. "Drew, Axl hit his head when he fell. I think he has a concussion!"

"He didn't get knocked out did he? Don't worry, he's a tough kid, he'll be fine."

"He was lying on the ground for so long... I'm taking him to a hospital. Hey Drew,

did you notice Axl slowed down at the end? I think he might have torn something."

"He might have." Drew pondered. "You said he was fast, didn't think he was _that_ fast. He going to college on a scholarship?"

"Maybe, I dont really know. Not if he keeps getting hit on the head. I gotta go check on him."

"They'll be out of the locker rooms soon."

Drew's phone rang. "Hold on, its Sigma, give me a minute. I'll be at the car."

A while later, Axl came out, only in a white muscle shirt, black shorts, and sneakers, holding his duffel bag.

"OH MY GOD AXL SWEETIE, ARE YOU OKAY?" Alia rushed towards him, giving him a big hug.

Axl didn't hug her back."Ye,Yeah mom, Ima,Ima,Ima okay." He started to look around, wide-eyed. "Where, where are you..."

"I had to park way out of the way because of the traffic, let's get back to the car, I'll take you home."

Alia took Axl's hand, and walked him out of the stadium, past the parking lot, and across the road.

Drew was leaning on Alia's black Prius. "Sigma just wanted to go over a few details-"

Drew and Axl locked eyes. Drew sensed Axl's body tense up. _Uh oh. This aint gonna be fun._

Axl pushed Alia out of the way. "I,

want,

you,

TO STAY AWAY FROM MY MOM YOU CREEP!"

"Axl!" Alia said, shocked. "Our relationship is none of you business! Get in the car!"

"MOM! CAN'T YOU TELL? THIS GUY IS JUST USING YOU! HE SHOWS UP AT OUR HOUSE ONE DAY AND TRIES TO WOO YOU OUT! THIS GUY IS SCUM MOM!"

"Axl look, you dont know the whole story-"

"I DONT CARE WHAT HE TOLD YOU MOM! HE'S LYING TO YOU!"

"Listen kid, if you don't want me around, that's fine. But stop yelling at your mother-"

"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, AND YOU DONT CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF!"

Axl ran forward. "JUST GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

Axl reached up and punched Drew straight in the jaw.

SHHHHCRAICK!

Drew's head swung like a swivel, and took a few steps back...

"AUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOWOOH!"

Axl fell to his knees. "MY HAND! MY HAND'S BROKEN!"

"Oh, you REALLY, should NOT, have done that." Drew said, casually swinging his head back to normal.

"AXL! WHY, JUST WHY WOULD YOU HIT HIM? Okay, lemme check on your hand maybe it just fractured..."

"NNNNGGG! NO!" Axl got back up to his feet. "IF YOU WANT TO BE WITH HIM, FINE! I'M GOING!"

Axl went running down the road, Alia called after him. "AXL! AXL! AXL GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! AXL! AXLLLLLLL!"

Alia got into her car. "C'MON DREW! WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE AXL DOESN'T HURT HIMSELF!"

Drew paused for a second. "Alia, as much as I would like to stay here and help, there is no way I can help you tonight. The boy hates me, its going to take a while to work things out. Here-" He went into the trunk, and got out his luggage. "I'll call Ace for a ride, spend the weekend with him, and come back and try to start things over with your kid. I can't be here right now, I'll only make things worse."

"Damnit Drew! Well, I guess your right. I'll call you tomorrow." Alia started her car,

and took off into the night.

_Well, if anything good came out of this,_ Drew thought to himself as he dialed Ace's number. _I heard Mrs. Eos can really cook._


	46. Tides

Night of the Dance

Rock busted into his bedroom. "LAN!"

He found his brother on his bed lying on his side. "Whaaaaaaaaaat..." Lan groaned. "I'm tryyyying to sleeeep. Ugh, I think I slept wrong after eating all that food."

"Lan! The dance starts in an hour, c'mon, get up, get dressed, we have to move!"

"The dance? Really?" Lan sat up. "Do I really have to go to that? Between Thanksgiving yesterday, and leftover today, I might throw up at a dance."

"Oh, get up Lan! Geo and Roll are carpooling, and Maylu just called 5 minutes ago saying she's almost ready!"

"Well then!" Lan rolled up off the bed, with the mattress leveling out. "I can't be that guy that just sits at home and does nothing!"

"Your clothes are in the closet." Rock checked the time. "Tch! I'm gonna go see if I can stall the others."

Lan quickly changed into his clothes. Put on his jacket, button-down shirt, pants, shoes, watch, tie...

He checked the mirror. "Oh no!" He held his belly. "I'm gonna look like a penguin!" He tucked his shirt out of his pants. "I really hope they will allow it out..."

Rock came back into the room. "You ready to go Pillsbury Dough-boy?"

"Oh shut up Rock! Your a robot, you dont get tempted by all the food on the table.

All that delicious food..." Lan's mouth started to water.

"I don't know about that Lan." Rock responded, tapping Lan's gut. "That breadbasket of yours is kinda calling me."

"Let's just go, okay?!" Lan was moving past his brother when Rock noticed something wrong.

"Hey 2pac! Leave your bandanna here, its a formal dance!"

"Just let me leave it on Rock. My hair looks so much more messy without it!"

"Don't worry Lan. When it comes to cleanliness, none of us have high expectations for you, so its perfectly fine."

"C'mon Rock. Its my signature! My logo! That's what gets people to think of me!"

"And now no one's going to think about you tonight! I'm the hero that Echo Ridge deserves. Now let's go let's go let's go! Were carpooling with Maylu."

Getting down the stairs, Lan took one last look at the kitchen. "I know there's so leftovers in there, can I bring one snack-"

"MOVE!" Rock pushed him out the door.

"Geeze Rock? Why are you so serious about this, all were doing is just going out to some stupid dance with Geo, Roll, and

M-

M-

M-

M-

Maylu?"

Lan's jaw dropped.

She was wearing a white hat with a pink lace and flower. She had on a yellow blouse, and white sandals.

"Hey guys!" She said, walking over with a wave. "Are you ready to go?" Grabbing the hand of a still-stunned Lan, Maylu went into the Hikari's SUV, and climbed in.

"So, how did you guys eat yesterday? I kinda held back, so i could fit into this? But, I got plenty of leftovers so I could pig out this weekend."

"Yeah, we watched the games more than anything. We actually went out and got our suits yesterday." Rock replied.

"Ooooooo, they look nice." She turned to Lan. "How do you like my dress Lan?"

"... I like your hat." Lan said, looking into the window and blushing.

As the car pulled up to the school, Lan saw a familiar face.

"OhlookitsGeoIbettergosayhitohim." Lan scrambled out of the car as it barley came to a stop.

"Now. wait a second Lan." Dr. Hikari look at the crowd filing into the gymnasium. "Its thick as pea soup out there, hold hands as you guys walk in there, and be safe!"

He started the ignition. "I'll be back, just call me if you need me to come get you!"

Lan look briefly shocked. "Wait, did you say hol-"

"C'mon Lan!" Maylu said, grabbing his hand. "Let's go meet up with Geo."

Rocked looked up at the overcast. "No wonder everyone is jamming ot get into the gym at once, its about to pour down."

Inside the gym, they found Geo waiting over in a corner. "Oh hey, guys, can you believe how many showed up to this?"

"YeahitsjustmindbogglinhheyGeocanItalktoyouforasec?" Lan tore himself from Maylu's grip and ushered Geo away.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what's the matter Lan?" Geo said, Lan pushing all the wall along.

"Its-its-its-its Maylu, she looks... she looks..."

"Incredible?"

"Y-y-y-yeah. But you said it not me..."

Geo gave him a look. "I thought you liked Maylu. You're always hitting on her..."

"Yeah, but I'm just teasing her. Were friends. But now...

I think I actually have a crush on her.

Listen man, just get me through the night, so a I can leave, and I don't do something stupid-"

Classical music started to flow into the gym. "EEP!" Lan bear hugged Geo, digging his fingernails in Geo's suit.

"Hey! That hurts! I'm not a pin cushion Lan!"

"Are you guys dancing together?" Luna Platz came over in a long, sparkly, dark blue dress.

"Y-y-eah! Were dancing together." Lan took Geo by the hands, and took him down to the floor with a forced smile

_Can she NOT see im having a good time?_ Geo wondered. _All Luna is doing is just standing there smiling._..

Something yellow and blue flashed in Geo's eyes. _Wait, that small thing..._

Lan spun Geo around again, and now he was sure of it.

_"_Servbot."

Lan's grip loosened. "What did you say?"

Geo pushed him out of the way. _Ooooooh, this ain't gonna be fun._

The servbot was crawling underneath the tables, holding a glass of punch.

Geo looked in the direction it was going. Roll Caskett was talking with Rock and Maylu. Back turned, completely oblivious to the trap set for her.

_WHEN DID ROLL... THEY WERE WAITING FOR HER!_

_OH NO YOU DON'T!_

Just when the servbot was about to emerge from the table behind Roll, Geo stomped on it, and pulled it from under the table with his heel?

"Thirsty?" He asked, picking up the servbot.

"Oh hey Geo-" Roll said, her expression immediately changing at the sight of the servbot. "What the,

what are YOU doing here? Where's Tron?" She started looking around.

"OVER HERE CASKETT!" In a back doorway was Tron, with a wicked sneer on her face.

Rock had to hold Roll back to stop her from charging at Tron. "Rooolll, time and place time and place time and place!"

"Rock, she almost spoiled my favorite dress! You can't even get stains out of it."

"Ooooooh, you cant?" Tron said. "Well, wouldn't it be just a darn_ shame_ if I-" She snapped here fingers. "NOW!"

A servbot sprung from behind a potted plant. "BONNEZAIII!"

Spilling the bucket all over Roll, her emerald dress was streaked with a muddy gray.

"IIIIIIIEEEE!" Roll screamed. "This is.. this oil paint isn't it?

"Oh, is the whittle Caskett gonna qii nooow? You jus gonna sit in da whittle corner a qui lika baby on niight?

"BONNE!" Roll yelled, taking a step towards her, I am sending you home in a box, or ten!"

"You have to catch me first Caskett!" Tron ran after the door, servbots close behind.

"GET BACK HERE!" Roll tore after her.

"Oh, I don't like this guys... somethings not right.." Rock said, motioning towards the door.

"Oh, Rock, I would say that." Maylu responded. "Quite a few things are wrong here. For example, how does Tron know about the dance when she doesn't even go to Echo Ridge? How does she know we were coming?"

CRATACKSHING! KATAK-OOOOOOOHMP!

"And why would she go out in a storm?"

"You know what?" Rock clenched his hand, and his blue metallic armor started to form. "I think I'm going to go Mega, unless _you guys_ want to come out there with me..."

"Um, hello? Do I _look _like im ready to go out there and break up a fight? Especially between _Roll_ and _Tron_?" Maylu asked.

Geo stepped forward. "I'll go out there with you Rock-"

CRSHIIINK! TOOTOOOOOHMP!

Geo stepped back. "You know what? Its just 2 pre-teen girls. You got this."

"Fair enough I guess. I'll be back soon." Rock said, walking out the door.

"Ugh." Maylu went. "I come out just to have a good time, and this happens."

"Yeah." Geo responded. " First Lan gets all weird, and now once again Roll and Tron are at each others throats."

_KATH-UMP!_

"Speaking of Lan," Maylu looked around. "Did you see where he went?"

_KATH-UMP!_

"No, I don't. This gym is actually pretty big, But still, I'm sure he'll turn up again. He does kinda need a ride home."

"Yeah, I guess he does." Maylu looked away for a minute. "Um Geo, when Lan was talking with you,

he didn't say anything about _me_, did he?"

Geo's heart paused for a second. _DANGER! DANGER! EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIP ISSUES AHEAD! CHOOSE YOUR NEXT WORDS VERY CAREFULLY STELAR!_

"Ummmmmmm...

about you? No, he didn't say anything. All he said was that... he felt he looked fat in his suit."

Maylu gave him a look. "Geo, are you _lying_ to me?"

"What? No! I would never..."

"Geo, what did Lan say?" Maylu asked sternly.

"He, uh, um, he said, he said...

Maylu, the best person to talk about this with is Lan. I, I really don't know what to say."

"You know what Geo, if I have to kill Lan,

YOU

ARE

NEXT."

Maylu walked past the frozen Geo

He groaned as he watched her walk into the crowd.

"I have no idea how this night can get any worse."

_KATH-UMP!_


	47. Triple Threat

"TRY TO KEEP UP CASKETT!" Tron yelled back at Roll across the parking lot.

Not only did Tron have a head start on Roll, but she was also in her regular clothes, while Roll was chasing her in a dress.

"I, AM GOING TO TEAR YOU APART TRON!" Roll said, as the downpour completely soaked her.

_YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN ME DIDN'T YOU TRON?!_

_YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THE BETTER MECHANIC!  
_

_YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THE BETTER SOCCER PLAYER!  
_

_YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THE BETTER STUDENT!_

_YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER AT ME THAN EVERYTHING,_

_AND YOU JUST HAD TO PROVE IT!_

_WELL NOW,_

_I AM GOING,_

_TO BEAT,_

_YOUR,_

_ASAAAAUUUGH!_

Roll slipped on the wet ground and crashed into the pavement.

"Stupid... heels..." She muttered, taking them off.

Meanwhile, Tron had easily jumped over the school's chain link fence. "HEY CASKETT! OVER HERE!

As Roll climbed over the fence, the tips of the fence snagged her dress, and she was caught suspended over the ground. "OOOF! Man, that hurt..."

"C'MON CASKETT! GET UP! LET'S FINISH THIS HERE AND NOW!"

As Roll got back to her feet, Tron was already bearing down on her, clubbing her back and dropping Roll back down to one knee.

Roll dove at Tron's knees, taking Tron down to the ground. Roll tried to get Tron in a headlock, but she slipped out from under Roll's arm with the rainwater.

Tron back-kicked Roll, making Roll double over. Tron followed up with an elbow, SMASHING right into Roll's face.

Roll wobbled a few steps back, holding her mouth while Tron screamed at her.

"YOU THINK YOUR BETTER THAN ME, JUST BECAUSE YOUR GRANDPA HELPS OUT TEISEL?! THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU ROLL, YOU'RE NOTHING!

I REFUSE TO GO AROUND BEING YOUR SHADOW! YOUR DIET SODA! ESPECIALLY WHEN I KNOW IM BETTER!

AND I AM GOING TO PROVE THAT ONCE AND FOR ALL! RIIIIIIIGHT NOOOOOOOW!"

Roll lunged, punching Tron in the mouth, then tackled her to the ground again. Roll pinned her arms down to the ground. "YOU LOSE AGAIN TRON!"

The two girls locked eyes, neither saying a word as the storm danced around them.

"heh" Tron started laughing, blood streaming down her lip.

"heh,

hehheh

hehehehehe

ehehehehehehehehe

eheheheheheheheheehe

Eheheheheheheheheheheh,

EHEHEHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHE

AUGHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH,

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What? What's the matter with you? Why are you laughing?" Roll asked.

She slammed Tron's head into the dirt. "ANSWER ME BONNE! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"Oh Caskett, you still don't get it do you? You've really think you won, don't you?

All you have managed to do,

is exactly what i wanted."

"What are you talking abo-"

A red dot appeared on the ground just a few feet in front of Roll. Roll watched as the dot started creeping on the ground towards her.

"Wha-what is it that?" Se said, paralyzed.

The dot finally came to rest on Roll's forehead. She looked up to see a beam of light in front of her. _Laser sight..._

Two more dots appeared on Roll's head, coming from the sides.

_vroom vroom vroom vroom,_

_vroom vroom vroom vroom,_

_vroom! vroom! vroom! vroom!_

_VROOM VROOM VROOM VROOM!_

"After the Robot Masters attacked, the government went to Teisel, and asked him to start designing and building war machines. But I created these beauties myself." Tron said, winking.

"And they're only prototypes."

Tron's machine finally came intro view. They were 3 7 foot tall, cylinder shaped tanks. Their two arms had pincer claws. Each were a different color: red, blue, and yellow.

"Roll Caskett,

meet the Blumebears!

With sudden horror, Roll realized that she had been completely set up right from the get-go. _I'm gonna be target practice for these things! I'll be ripped to shreds._"

Roll, not taking her eyes off the Blumebears, slowly got back to a vertical basis. _They're moving too slow, I can reach the fence!_

"Stop!" Tron ordered at the advancing Blumebears, about 10 feet away.

"Really Tron? Blumebears is the name you come up with?" Roll asked, slowly backing away. "Yeah, 'Bumblebears,' that's gonna strike fear in the hearts of my enemies."

"Well, its working on _you_ isnt it Caskett? That's a start." Tron responded, walking behind the Blumebears.

"We have visual on the target Miss Tron!" A servbot yelled from inside a Bumblebear. "What are your orders?"

"Capture her my minions!" Tron said.

The three Blumebears shot out their arms at Roll, who tried to make a break for the fence.

_I'M GONNA MAKE IT!_ She thought, dashing to the fence.

_I'M GONNA MAKE IT! _She thought, frantically climbing over.

_I'M GONNA MAKE IT! _She thought, falling over the fence and scrambling away

_I'M GONNA-_

SNAP!

The Bumblebear grabbed her by the back of her dress, and hoisted her back over the fence, and squashing her into the ground.

The servbot dropped his prize at his master's feet. "Caught her Miss Tron!"

"Good job #3!" Tron said, beaming with pride. "Now as for you Caskett...

GET UP!" She barked, kicking Roll in the stomach.

Rolling over from the kick, Roll slowly managed to wobble back to her feet. What part of her that wasn't soaked in that paint was drenched with mud.

"Gonna...

take,

you down,

Bonne..."

Roll tried to throw a punch, but Tron easily sidestepped it and

THWAP!

smacked her in the face.

Roll stumbled over, slipping in the wet ground.

She started coughing, and a bubbly red came from out of her mouth.

_Coughing up blood... I think that means my ribs are broken. _

"Blue! Yellow! Switch to cannon mode."

_Wait,_

_what did she say?_

_I didn't know those things had cannons-_

The red Blumebear snatched Roll, hanging her upside down.

She watched as the other two Blumebears' claws retracted,

and 3 barrel mini guns came out.

"Don't worry Caskett, these are only paint rounds...

_but they're gonne hurt like hell Caskett,_

THROW HER UP!"

The servbot flung Roll up high into the air. She could barley make out their dots in her blurred vision.

Then she realized that the laser sight dots where on her stomach.

_Those are really gonna hurt._

"FIRE!"

PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

"Get ready to catch her coming down #3." Tron said, gazing up.

"Miss Tron! Miss Tron! Our shots missed!" The servbots said panicking.

"What? How did they miss? Are those things malfun-"

"Look!"

Tron peered into the night side.

Something was slowly descending to the ground

_That's not Casket..._

* * *

"Took

you

long enough." Roll said weakly.

"Sorry Roll." Mega Man said. "I would have stepped in sooner, but I was analyzing those machines, and then I realized that Tron can't know that I know you and-"

"My hero." Roll starting coughing up blood again.

"Roll, stay down." Rock said, gently laying her on the wet grass. "I'll take care of this."

"Don't worry, wasn't planning on getting up. Ugh.

You,

you sure you don't want to think of some clever line before you go over there?"

"Oh, you think I should? Anyone you want to say to her that I can tell her?"

Roll started to chuckle. "Hehehehe. COUGH ! COUGH! Oh its hurts to laugh.

You see, I would hit you if it wasn't for two things.

I cannot feel my arms right now.

And I know your being sincere.

Just go kick her ass you idiot.

I'll be over here trying not to have

internal

bleeding..."

"Roll!" Rock could feel his stomach tighten with guilt. "I'm sorry..."

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Tron yelled.

Mega Man looked at her, guilt flashing to anger. "What are you doing attacking this girl with 3 robots? Who is this anyway?"

"Its none of your business! Now get out of here!"

Mega Man looked at the Blumebears. "Wait, that symbol.

That's the logo for Bonne Industries."

"Yep! Tron Bonne here, reporting for duty!"

"Look, you are going to take your robots and get out of here."

_Now that I think about it, I need to get Roll out of here. She'll be upset that I didn't get Tron, but I can deal with her later. _

"I'm taking this girl to the hospital. And don't even _think _about going back into that school."

"Your not going anywhere! Servbots! Fire!"

PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

_He can't even dodge them!_ Tron thought, smiling with pride. _I never even thought about him. To think! My Blumebears, tearing Mega Man to shreds!_

_He's just standing there, absorbing all those shots!_

_All those,_

_paint round shots,_

_that won't hurt him one bit..._

_uh oh._

Our beloved Blue Bomber had become the Blue, Yellow, and Red Bomber, soaking in paint.

Wiping the paint off his face, Mega Man's hand slowly started morphing into his buster.

"You are going to pay for that."

"Nooooooo! He's going to blow us up!" The servebots cried out. "Miss Tron! Miss Tron! What are we going to do?!"

"Um, Um, Um, Uh Switch back to claw mode!" Tron said.

Mega Man waited patiently as the robots changed. _These things shouldn't be too hard to destroy. And I guess I could use the practice._

"GET HIM!"

Mega Man braced himself as the claws came shooting towards him.

Noticing the red claws were coming in faster, Mega Man darted to his right, then made a hard cut straight ahead, firing his buster at the blue and yellow Blumebears. _Please let this work._

With the blue and yellow claws coming directly in front of him, Mega Man juked back left.

"I got 'em!" Servbot 3 said as his red claws almost reaching Mega Man.

"No, I got 'em!" Servbot 2 said, as Mega Man looked around, realizing he was trapped.

KA-CHIIIINK!

"Wha-wha-wha?

HEY!"

Mega Man had somersaulted over the claws, tangling the robots up.

Servbot 1 climbed out of his hatch.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING NUMBER 2? YOU MESSED ME ALL UP! NOW OUR CLAWS ARE INTERLOCKED! LET GO!"

"OH WHAT I'M DOING?" Servbot 2 shouted back. "HE WAS RIGHT THERE! I HAD HIM! WHY DON'T YOU LET GO?"

"MY BLUMEBEAR WAS BUILT FOR ATTACKING! YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE FOLLOWING MY LEAD!"

"DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN USE YOUR BLUMEBEAR BETTER THAN I CAN!"

"OH, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS TO THE AIRSHIP?"

"Shut.

Up.

BOTH OF YOU!" Tron yelled. "YOU ARE BOTH GETTING PUNISHED WHEN WE GET HOME, YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"But-but-but

Miss Tron! Its his fault!"

"No, its his fault!"

"No, ITS YOUR FAULT!"

"Don't worry Miss Tron! I still got em!" Servbot 1 said, his claws lunging at Mega Man.

_Okay, so I got-_

SNAP! He had just dodged a lung, and was bobbing and weaving between the claws.

_Those two tangle u-_

SNAP!

_Now all I have to do _

SNAP! SNAP!

_is_

SNAP!

_get this one_

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

_wrapped up too._

SNAP!

_Better do it fast, their about to regroup!_

Mega Man flew back, under the claws of the still-arguing serbots, the last pair of claws in hot pursuit.

"Oh no you don't!" Servbot 1 said, running Mega down.

Mega Man veered to the side, then diving under the outstretched arms of the Blumebears. First the red one, then the blue one.

Tron realized what he was doing. "Sevrbot 1, stop pursuit! He's tricking you! Servbots 2 &amp; 3, both of you detach NOW!"

"I can't retract, I can't retract! #1! Stop!" The other 2 servbots cried.

"No no no no no! I almost got 'em see?" The claws were shining red as they were inches away from Mega's rocket boots.

_Let's finish this._

Mega man managed to zip between the middle interlock again. The claws followed him through it.

Mega man dropped to the ground.

"GOTCHA!"

The claws reached, with the servbot grinning ear to ear with anticipation...

POOOMMPH!

The claw fell on the ground.

"What? What's go on? Move! Move!"

"You IDIOT!" Tron screamed at him. "Look at what you've done!"

All three Blumebears were tied together in a hug knot.

"Now we can't get loose!" The servbots said, struggling with their machines.

"And now that you wasted my time when I could have been getting that little girl help..." Mega Man started turning green. "I'm taking these machines apart!

HYPER BOMB MODE!"

"No! Noonononononononon oh this is bad!" Tron said, looking on as Mega Man got his bombs on.

"From scanning the density of these machines...

the blue one goes first."

Servbot 2 gulped. "Uh oh."

Mega Man threw 4 bombs as Servbot 2 scrambled out of the top.

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMB!

The Blumebear scattered everywhere, the flames lighting up the night sky.

"WHOA!" Mega Man jumped back as the explosions traveled up the arms, causing the other two Blumebears damage.

"NUMBER 2! NUMBER TWO! ARE YOU OKAY?" Tron, tears in her eyes, ran over to her servbot, picking it up. The servbot has sustained burns, scorching its yellow body grey.

"You'll- you'll

YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

Mega Man had to pay attention to the other Blumebears, who were now free.

_Take out the red one next._

"C'mere!" Servbot 3 said, snapping his claws.

"SUPER ARM MODE!" Mega Man went orange.

_If I can knock the red one on its side, I might be able to blow it up next to the yellow one, and take both out at once._

POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM!

The red bot managed to demolish all of Mega Man's blocks, bashing them out of the air.

_Dang it... oh well, at least the yellow one's claws can't move that fast._ Mega Man started peppering the other bot.

Taking his eye off the red one was a mistake.

SKIITCH! The bot's swipe caught Mega Man across the chin, sending him flying.

"THERE WE GO GUYS!" Tron said. "NOW, FINISH HIM OFF!"

Mega Man was barely back on his feet when the yellow's claws were bearing down on him.

"WOAH!" Mega fired two rounds of block, stuffing the claws as he rolled away.

_Back to bomb mode. BACK TO BOMB MODE._

Mega reequipped his bombs as the red claws came shooting for him.

After lighting the fuses, Mega hurled 2 bombs at the claws...

and MISSED!

The claws dove under and scooped Mega Man up in their grasps!

"Gotchu now!" The Servbots said. laughing with glee.

"Check again." Mega Man pointed at the bombs,

that were landing on the arms of the bots.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The red Blumebear's arms were blown open, and the servbot could no longer control the claws!

"NOOOOOOOOO! HE DISABLED MY ARMS!" #3 cried out.

Mega pried open the now useless claws. "Its over."

He summoned another bomb when

THWAP! Mega Man went sailing into the air

"Did you forget about me?" Servbot 1 said.

Mega Man landed with a hard thud on the ground. _Its fine Mega, that one wont be hard to be, its just gonna take you awhile._

He go back to one knee. _Let me just get my bombs and-_

It was then he noticed his last bomb was right next to him,

fuse going into the hole.

_OH SHI_

BOOOM!

Mega Man exploded into the air, consumed in smoke.

_AUTO CHANGE BACK TO BUSTER MODE._

The change in his body woke up his mind.

_Great. _He thought, _now I cant even use my bombs. Ow._

_Wait. _He turned his rockets back on.

_I'll just fly around up here and blast that thing. Its not gonna hit-_

SSHTOOOOOOM!

Mega Man was sent careening into to the ground.

_What_

_was_

_that..._

Then he looked up, and saw what hit him, spiraling on the ground several yards away.

A red claw.

_No..._ Mega turned around, half furious, half exasperated.

SHWOOOP!

Mega dove away to be avoided being crushed by the other claw.

The blue Blumebot was swinging around the other red claw. "I'm gonna swat you like a fly!"

"SHUT UP!" Mega started firing bullets furiously. PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

Despite all Mega's attack,

the yellow Blumebot stood firm!

_I'm barely ripping holes in it at all! _

The servbot threw the claw at Mega, who managed to jump over,

SPMAAACK! And the claw from the other blue arm crashed into Mega from behind, planting him into the ground.

The servbot hoisted up his limp body.

"Good... now,

CRUSH HIM!" Tron commanded.

The Blumebot started squeeeeeeeeezing the life out of Mega Man.

"GIIIY-AAAAHH-AGhAGHooa-"

_Rocket feet! GO!_

Using a combination of his rockets to burn the claws, a few blasts from his buster, and simply banging on it, Mega Man managed to free himself.

POOOM!

The other claw immediately pinned Mega into the ground.

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Tron yelled. "I WANT TO SEE WHAT HE'S MADE OF!"

Mega Man started charging his buster. "STAY BACK!"

The servbot hesitated. "Wha-wha-what should I do? That looks kinda scary..."

Tron laughed it off. "Your armor's too tough #1! You can take whatever he's got!" By now she was holding both Servbots 2 &amp; 3.

"You can do it! Take him out!"

"You're #1! You're #1!" The two cheered.

_My helmet's already cracked, it won't be able to take that kind of pressure!_ Mega thought. _This thing has to to have a weak spot! It just has to!_

As the claw gripped his head, Mega tried desperately to push an end off with his free hand. _Gotta get this thing up to full power! I'm only gonna get one shot at this!_

The claw started pulling Mega's head. _85% maximum charge._

Harder.

_90 % maximum charge._

Harder!

_95% maximum charge._

HARDER!

_100% full charge_

PSHOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The shot came rocketing towards the Blumebear,

and missed, sailing just right of him!

"HA!" Tron laughed. "YOUR ONE SHOT,

AND HE MISSED!"

The servbots' eyes followed the shot. "MISS TRON! LOOK!"

"What are you two on about now. Like I said, he missed-"

KA-POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMPPPPHHHH!

A fireball appeared out of nowhere, the blast knocking all 3 to the ground.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Tron, now terrified, screamed. "WHAT DID HE HIT?! I THOUGHT HE MISSED! I KNOW IT! I SAW HIM!

She stared at the now blazing target, and gasped.

"He wasn't aiming at the yellow one..."

The red Blumebear had been obliterated. The force of the blast so strong the entire thing had fell over before finally combusting into a cloud of fire, smoke, and gas. Its many pieces of debris were scattered across the ground, each charred and burned in its own way.

"NUMBER ONE, THAT EXPLOSION DIDN'T HURT YOU AT ALL DID IT!?" Tron yelled. "NUMBER ONE! DAMAGE REPORT!"

"M-M-M-M-M-Miss Tron?

I think we have a problem."

The yellow Blumebot turned,

and a hunk of red metal had impaled it from the side, ran through on both sides.

Tron put her hands to her mouth. "Oh, my, God.

NUMBER ONE! ARE YOU HURT AT ALL?!"

"No.

But it _is_ alot less roomy in here."

"Get that thing out of you RIGHT NOW!"

The servbot gingerly guided his claws to remove the shrapnel, making sure to not cause any further damages.

"Are there any leaks or punctures in it?" Tron asked.

"I'm checking, I don't see anything. I think I'm good to go. Wow! It must be my lucky day!"

"I wouldn't quite say that." A familiar voice said.

"Mega Man! Where are you?" The servbot looked around on his screen, not seeing him anywhere.

"Where did you go? I know your here somewhere..."

"Look up."

"Wait, your on the roof!" The servbot turned his head upward, shaking his fist.

"Get off there! Do you have any idea how much this thing-"

SHIKIRAAAAASHINK! Mega Man ripped off the hatch, tossing it to the ground.

"costs?"

Mega Man reached down, grabbing the horrified servbot with one hand, and lifted it back up.

"HERE!" Mega Man threw the servbot at Tron Bonne.

POW!

Hitting her right in the face.

Turning his attention back to the Blumebear, Mega Man rose into the air, charging his buster, full view of the cockpit.

_100% full charge_

"Fire."

CHAPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The last Blumebear had been destroyed, leaving only a metal firestorm as proof of its existence.

Mega Man descended next to Tron Bonne, who was shielding her servbots away from the blast.

Mega Man stared her down, eyes full of rage.

"You are going to take your servbots and go home. You are not going to bother anyone else ever again. Your not even going to build any more combat machines. And if I catch you bothering anyone else EVER again, I will personally destroy ever last servbot you have. Now go."

Walking away, he saw that Tron hadn't moved.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Trembling, Tron gather her servbots and scampered off into the night.

Mega Man fell down, exhausted. "Ugh, my head..."

It was then he realized he was forgetting something.

"That's right! Roll!"

Floating over to her, he was relieved that see had not been harmed at all.

"Are you okay Roll?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah." She said weakly. "Did you bite her head off?"

"No, but I felt like it. Oh my God I have a migraine."

"I'll trade you the cracked ribs for it." Roll said, smiling.

"Jokes on you, I have both." Rock said, picking her up.

"You know, we are supposed to be at a dance."

"Yeah, your right?" Roll looked over her torn, muddy dress. "Think I look good for the ballroom?"

"Eh, its an improvement from when you walked in."

"If you hadn't have just defeated my worst enemy, I would be so mad at that."

"Don't mention it. Hey, I'll give you a ride back over to your house, it shouldn't take too long."

"Thanks for the lift." It was when Roll realized something.

"Don't! Glyde and Grandad will freak out if they found out what happened. Can't I just stay at Maylu's place for the night?"

"Fair enough. At least let me get your somewhere where its dry. I'll ask Mayl-"

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

"Hold on, something's wrong. Let me check my scanners...

Oh no.

Oh nonononononon.

OH MY GOD!"

Dropping Roll, Rock started tearing for the school.

_KA-THUMP!_


	48. Till Death Do Us Part

Lan Hikari gave himself question looooong look in the mirror.

_What the hell am I doing?_

_I am seriously about to destroy a friendship just because a girl looks pretty for one night!_

_Really,_

_really,_

_pretty..._

_NO! LAN! FOCUS!_

_This is Maylu were talking about. Maylu!_

_Okay, look, you are going to walk out this door, find Maylu, and tell her all of this was just a big misunderstanding. _

He took a deep breath.

_I can do this._

He walked towards the door.

_I can do this!_

He opened the door..

_ I CAN DO THIS!_

and immediately slammed it shut, running back.

_I can't do this._

_I can't do this!_

_I CANT DO THIS!_

_WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!  
_

"Well, you could could start by stop thinking out loud."

Lan jumped back. "Geo! Do not scare me like that!"

He looked around. "How did you even know I was here."

"Well, a few guys came out saying there was this creepy guy in the bathroom talking to himself.

I don't know if you know this, but its kinda hard to piss when a guy is walking around talking about the throes of love."

Lan facepalmed. "Is that really what I've been doing the past 15 minutes?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Geo, what am I gonna do?"

"You could talk to her."

"Geo, I can't do that. I

I

I wouldn't know what to say."

"Say what you think."

"I don't know what I think!"

"Don't you like her? You always tease her."

"Exactly! That's the point. I'm just teasing her. She knows that I really don't like her. And I know that I really don't like her. Were just friends. Its fun to pretend that we want to be more than that; when in reality we'd rather kill each other than kiss each other.

Except...

I don't know if I don't like her anymore.

For the first time ever, I actually want to be more than friends.

Now I don't know if its just tonight, but I'd rather wait tomorrow and see if this feeling dies down. I don't want to say the wrong thing and...

and lose a friend, especially if that friend is my neighbor."

Lan's uncharacteristic lack of self confidence worried Geo. "Your really worried about this aren't you?"

"Yeah I really don't know what to do."

"I got an idea."

Geo grabbed Lan by the arm, and started dragging him out the bathroom, Lan kicking and screaming all the way.

_KA-THUMP!_

He found her sitting at a table alone, slowly drinking the last of her punch.

Geo, who by now was half-dragging, half-choking Lan by his tie, tapped her shoulder, and swung Lan around in front of him.

"Maylu, Lan. Lan, Maylu. Now you guys need to talk, and I'm going to leave you both to it." Geo quickly walked away before either of them could react.

Lan stared awkwardly at floor.

Maylu played with her hair.

"Listen, about tonight-"

"You know, I only said yes because I didn't have anything else to do."

"So you're really only out here to have a good time?"

"Well at first, yeah... but then I started wondering,

Did you ask me out because you liked me?

I told myself no... there's no way you could be ever interested in me.

So I was trying to talk to you

and your spazzing out on me!

Lan, what is going on?!

Do you like me Lan?" Maylu flat out asked. "Do you want me to like you?"

"H-H-Honestly, I don't know anymore. I have been running around in circles for so long, I don't even know where I am anymore.

All I know is I care about you."

Maylu blushed at that last bit. "Oh my God Lan, you are such a goofball."

Her blush turned to laughter. "Did you really have to make this so awkward?"

Lan decided to just grin and bear it. "Would it really be me if I didn't?"

"No. I guess not." Maylu said, smiling. "This is why we can't have nice things. Like a dance."

"I guess you don't want to start dating then?"

"Not happening anytime soon. But I did learn something useful tonight."

"Really?

What?"

"All I have to do to mess with you, " She wrapped her arms around his neck. "is dress up a little and just look at you."

"MAYLU!" Lan screamed."Get off!"

"Ahh, what's the matter?" She whispered into his ear. "Can't I give my best friend in the whole wide world a hug?"

She gave him a smile. "I'm gonna make you regret having a mini-crush on me sooooooo hard..."

_KA-THUMP!_

* * *

Geo was sitting by a table, watching the dance.

_This is actually kinda boring. I can't believe Sonia wanted to come here so bad._

_I guess she really is going crazy to get outside..._

A hand fell upon his shoulder. It was Luna. "Hey Geo, are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm just... thinking of someone."

"It's okay, at least he's happy right?"

"He...wait,

what are you..."

His eyes fell upon Lan and Maylu dancing around. Lan was looking terrified; Maylu having the time of her life.

_OK, THAT'S INTERESTING. _

_Better go check that out and-_

_"_EEEY RUNA!"

Bud Bison came stomping over, just absolutely mashing the food in his mouth.

"Bud... could you BE any more disgusting right now?" Luna asked. "And what are you eating anyway?"

"The staff put out leftover food slices, and guess who just HAD to make a taste testing competition." Zack explained,walki

"Hey! I got hungry! And have you TRIED Ms. Mari's turkey?"

Geo's stomach growled. "Wait, when did I get hungry?"

Luna's stomach rumbled as well. "Knew I should have...

ugh. Lead the way Bud."

_KA-THUMP!_

* * *

Despite the gentle smile on her face, Maylu held Lan's fingers in a malicious iron grip while they danced around.

"I

Am

Going

To

Kill

You." Lan said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, what's the matter Lan? I thought you liked me."

Lan swung Maylu into another couple, loosening her grip.

Lan tore free, then darted to the walls of the gym.

"Stop playing so hard to get, babe." Maylu said, kicking him in the shins with a smirk.

"Ow, that actually hurt." Lan said, holding his leg. _I forgot she plays soccer._

"Oooh, I know;

Let's go outside and then we can be in private."

Taking his hand, she led him across the gym to a set of double-doors, back-kicking him in the gut whenever he struggled too much.

Pushing past the double doors, they went outside onto the playground.

"Mayluuuuuu, stooooop. Your taking this too far." Lan wailed out.

"Oh, don't you know Lan? I've had a huge crush on you for forever and I just wanted a perfect time to tell you."

"You are such a pain."

"Why do you have to say things like that, I'm trying to really talk to you."

She embraced Lan close, eyes only a few inches apart.

"If only you knew the way I really feel about you.

..."

Maylu smiled, snickering some. "OK, I think that's enough for one night."

Lan breathed a sigh of relief. "Can we please go back inside now? Its so wet out here, it just stopped raining, and I don't want to get my suit messed up."

"Oooooooone last thing Lan.

Kiss me."

"W-

W-

W-

W-

WHAT?"

Maylu turned her head sideways. "Just a peck on my cheek. So neither of us can EVER forget tonight."

Lan stood there stunned, his face flushing an intense shade of red.

"Just get it over with." She said, closing her eyes and tapping her cheek. We both know you want to."

Another pause. Maylu could feel Lan's breath against her face, a warm distinction from the cold air all around them.

But other than that, it was like he wasn't even there, especially with the quiet.

"You know," she said, eyes still closed. "You're gonna have to do something."

"..."

She turned her head back around. "We don't have all night you kno-

mmmmmmmmm..."

She couldn't speak. Something was pressing against her lips.

She opened her eyes.

It was Lan.

They were kissing.

Maylu's entire body almost fell. Her hands drooped to the side, her knees buckled.

But her head...

Thoughts raced millions of miles through Maylu's head.

_Ohmygodimmakingoutwithlanfrickenhikarithisisunrealholycrapwhatdoidonowwerejuststandingherelookingateachotherishewaitingformetomakeamovedoipullbackdoigeteventightershouldiwaitforhimto-_

Lan finally pulled back.

For what seemed to seemed to be forever, the couple stared at each other in silence. Neither one of them knew what to say; or how to say it.

Maylu was freaking out. She had always assumed that if Lan ever kissed her, she would wipe her mouth off, and then proceed to beat the ever living shit out of him.

But...

she didn't.

She didn't even pull back.

She just stood there and let him kiss her.

In fact, she might have even kinda liked-

No.

NO!

She snapped back into it.

Regain control here.

"Was that an accident?" Maylu asked, hoping,

hoping with all her heart and soul that he would say yes.

He took time to respond, as if it took extra time to understand the question.

Finally, he spoke.

"Yes. Yes, that was an accident.

Maylu breathed a GIGANTIC sigh of relief.

"OK, OK, crisis averted. I think we better get back inside and forget that any of this ever happ-"

Lan cupped her face. "That one was an accident.

This one,

isn't."

He closed his eyes,

and kissed her again.

Maylu was stunned, she couldn't believe it.

The warmth of his lips, the tender way he held her...

_H-h-he actually loves me. _

_How long has he..._

_is it just tonight?_

_Or has he been holding back for a long time?_

Part of her wanted to push him away; this is just so surreal, so fast...

_But if he isn't holding back..._

_why should I?_

She wrapped her hands around Lan's waist. Pulling him even closer.

Embracing the kiss.

She felt this feeling in her chest. It was...warm. Time slowed down as the world disappeared.

It was just them, just the two of that one moment...

forever.

Despite every fiber in her being desperately wishing not, they broke the kiss.

Maylu gazed into his beautiful dark brown eyes, trying to find words that could fit in this moment.

"L-L-Lan,

I..."

"Betcha thought I really mean that, huh?"

_wait..._

_what?_

_what!  
_

_What!_

_WHAT!_

_WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!_

Maylu swung as HARD as she could, SMACKing Lan right in the face.

"HOW COULD YOU FAKE THAT KISS?!"

"Turnabout is fair play, baby." Lan laughted as a small, fresh cut on his cheek started bleeding.

Maylu spat profusley on the ground. "THIS WAS THE WORSE MOMENT OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!"

"Oh come on, you know you liked it."

"WHY ARE WE FRIENDS AGAIN? THERE IS SO MUCH ABOUT YOU I JUST HATE!

"You can't even come up with-"

"YOU'RE ARROGANT!

YOU'RE OBNOXIOUS!

YOU'RE PIG-HEADED!"

"Whoa there, i didn't even give you a number-"

"You're lazy as hell! i mean you never do your homework, either me, rock, roll, dr. light, or your parents have tell you to do it. Sometimes, you don't even do it when we walk into class, you go to the bathroom and do it fast in there!

You never study for any quizzes or tests! I call you to study and you say you are, but i'm your next-door neighbor IDIOT! i can see you just sitting in front of your tv playing video games! And you never pay attention in class!

The worst part is, you still get good grades! Sometimes you do even better on tests than me! Some of us actually work for our grades Lan! I struggle and bust my ass to stay around a 3.6, you get a 3.3 like its nothing!

Your mom told me you have an IQ of like 120 - something. Lan, your like gifted. When I took mine last year I was like 108 something. Your so much smarter than me, and you act like a total dummy! I feel like such a moron when you out-do me. Do you have any idea what you could do if you actually tried?

Even now, you're still screwing with me. I don't think you ever had some crush on me, I think you were just messing with me from the beginning and just played right into it."

"Look, I did NOT know we would be out here all right? That came purely on the fly. You started it by asking for a kiss."

"Well you know what? I'm ending this also. I've had enough of you for one night." She started walking back towards the school.

"I can't wait to tell EVERYONE about this!" She heard Lan say behind her.

"IF YOU TELL ONE PERSON I WILL STRANGLE YOU WITH A PILLOW!"

Walking into the double-doors, Maylu SLAMMED the doors shut. "UGH! I can't even LOOK at him right now!"

Geo came over. "Maylu, why are you so upset for?"

"Its Lan! He-

he-,

just forget it."

"What's wrong? Where is he?"

"I'm sure he'll just tell ALL about it when he gets in here."

"You two just came from outside right? Maybe he's talking to Rock and Roll out there. They should be done with Tron by now." He started walking towards the exit.

"Great. Now everyone is gonna know that me and Lan k-" Not paying attention, Maylu ran into Geo's back as he was standing the the doorway.

"Geo, what are doing?

Geo?"

"Maylu, call Rock.

Right now."

_KA-_

_thum..._


	49. Interruptions Part 1

Lan was lying on the ground, clutching his chest.

He couldn't breathe. Everything was

swirling in and

out around him, going

black...

_Just calm down Lan. Wait for-_

He coughed vigorously. "GHAAHCK!"

your_ PET to kick in..._

"WHEEEEEEZEE"

_The PET,_

_that you left,_

_at home._

_SHIT!_

_SHIT!_

_SHIT_

_SHI-_

"HAAAAAACHhhhhhh..."

"Lan! Don't worry, I'm here." Geo sat Lan straight up.

Lan managed a weak smile. "haa-

EHH! HAGH! HAGH! Haaaay b-b-b-b

buddy."

"Where's your watch? Your PET function should have started working by now."

"GYAAEACHK GYAALCH!

Home..."

"WHAT?" Geo dug his fingernails into Lan's arm.

"Ohw ohw ohw not helping NOT HELPIN-

GERK!"

"Oh sorry. Sorry. I'm such an idiot. Sorry.

Maylu is calling Rock, just hold on.

You're gonna be okay. Just stay away and stay calm. Look at me. You're gonna be alright. Just stay with me man.

See? Look. Rock's here now."

Both Maylu and Rock came over. Geo held Maylu back as Rock looked him over.

"What's wrong with him?!" Maylu asked. _If he is messing with us again I swear to GOD._

"I'll explain later. I better call Dr. Light right now though..."

After checking his vitals, Rock unbuttoned Lan's shirt, exposing his chest. "Ready for this?"

"Don't r-r-really

have

a-choice..."

Putting a finger on his chest, Rock's fingertip started to electrify.

_Clear._

_ZZZZING!_

Lan gasped, convulsing on the ground.

Rock turn him on his back again. "Calm down, calm down, that was only the first one. You're alright.

Just let me just finish this fast."

Placing his hand on Lan's chest, Rock began defibrillating him again, this time sending the pulses of electricity in a rhythm.

_ZING!...ZING!...ZING!...ZING!_

Lan's breathing started to return to normal.

_KA-THUMP! KA-THUMP! KA-THUMP!_

"I'm good." He said groggily.

"Yeah. I ugghhhh. I'm feeling better."

"Are you sure?" Rock asked nervously.

"Y-Y-Yeah. Just let me...

lemme get up."

Lan tried to stand but,

his legs collapsed immediately, falling back unto the ground.

"They feel like jelly."

"You don't look so good." Rock picked him. "I'm taking you to Seaside."

"I'm fine." Lan weakly broke free of Rock's gasp.

Trying to prove he had recovered, Lan started walking.

Taking a few somewhat solid steps, Lan started to wobble. Leaning against the wall for support, Lan stumbled a few more steps.

Then fell back down to both knees.

"Just...

just give me a few minutes. Let me go back inside."

Rock walked over to him, getting ready to pick him up again. "We're leaving now."

Lan slapped his hand away, panting heavily after the small walk.

"Don't.

I don't wanna go back.

Can't you just look at me right here?"

"Mom, Dad, and I would all feel better if you got checked out."

Rock picked him up, and turned on his Mega Jets.

"Rock." Lan tugged on his shoulder. "Don't take me back there.

Please."

"Listen, I know how much you must hate going here, but-"

"No,

no you don't."

"But it's for the best if we all go okay?

Just trust me on this."

"Can I at least go to sleep?

I feel really tired right now."

"The rides gonna be really short, and their probably gonna ask some questions."

"Of course. They will.

Let's just get this over with."

Hovering up in the air, Rock called out to Geo and Maylu.

"I'll call Mom and Dad to come get you! Just stay here!"

Rock zoomed into the air out of sight.

_He's gonna be fine. _Geo thought to himself, watching them take off._ Rock will take him to the hospital, Lan will get treatment, and everything is gonna be just fine..._

_"_Um...

HELLO?!"

Maylu stood behind him, exasperated.

"I'm still waiting for the explanation of why my friend just got carried away on the world's fastest EMT truck!"

"Listen Maylu, don't freak out about this..."

"I'VE BEEN TRYING NOT TO FREAK OUT FOR THE PAST FIVE MINUTES! JUST TELL ME!

"O-O-Okay.

I don't even know where to start...

Look. You know how old people have pacemakers for their hearts?"

"Yeah?"

"The body has a natural pacemaker called the sinoatrial node. It controls the body's heart rate.

Lan has a rare disease called HBD: it stands for Heart Beat Disease. The sinoatrial node in his body isn't as developed as it should be. Sometimes,

it falters. It doesn't work as fast, or it goes into a rush when it shouldn't. We call them an 'attack'."

"That's...

horrifying." Maylu responded. She remembered Lan's watch.

"Wait. What about his watch? Is it an alarm for when he has an attack?"

"Well, sort of. In his watch is PET Technology. Personal Emergency Technician. It was actually designed by Lan's grandfather, Tadashi. Lan's PET can detect attacks as soon as they start, and send electronic pulses to his sinoatrial node to recalibrate it.

Lan has actually had several attacks in class over the years: he makes a little gasp, then goes quiet, his entire body goes rigid trying to hide it. Then he just sort of slumps over his desk and doesn't do anything. Then someone comes to pick him up early and take him to the hospital.

He use to make it a habit to always sit in the back of class."

"Why doesn't he want people to know about it? If I had a disease that affects my heart and can incapacitate me at any second of the day, I'd let everyone I know/meet on a daily basis in on the fact that, 'hey I can have a heart attack in an instant so watch out for that ok? Thanks."

"He doesn't want to think about it. He just wants to live life and be happy you know? His PET always saves him so he is alright right now."

Geo knew that he was holding back on how Lan really felt. _But Lan told me not to tell that_...

"I guess that makes sense. I...

I'm sorry Geo, but I cannot begin to understand and respond to that."

"I know. But that's why Lan always has to where the PET. Dr. Hikari managed to perfect Tadashi's work. It's amazing at how quick he got it to respond to, what he calls, 'abnormalities in the body'." Geo smiled. "That's why their millionaires."

"REALLY? Lan's a MILLIONAIRE? You're joking!"

"Kinda. Despite being expensive, PETs are becoming popular, especially with older people. Why do you think all those politicians live so long?

Granted, most of their money goes into Light Labs, but the Hikari has millions in the bank."

_And he asks me to buy curry for him all the time that little son of a bi-_

"Hold on, if Tadashi is so important, why am I only just hearing about him?"

"Well he,

he...

Geo looked away for a second.

"The only reason Tadashi ever created the PET is that,

that,

he had HBD too.

It's genetic.

Its actually...

what killed him."

"W-W-WHAT?

If-If-If he designed the PET, and he still had an attack and died...

then,

then,

what does that say about Lan..."

Geo shook his head.

"Maylu, you're not thinking about something.

Lan's got Rock! Rock is watching his back 24/7! Rock just saved him right there! Look how in charge he was, how calm and collected he was."

Geo tried to keep his smile up. "I mean. Rock fights deadly killer robots! He can fly at hundreds of miles per hour! He's probably at the hospital right now! There's nothing he can't do!"

Geo recognized his mom's car as she pulled up into the school. He also recognized her worried face.

"Haruka called me! I came as fast as I could! Is Lan okay?"

"Yeah. Rock and Lan already left." Geo responded.

"How did they already pick Lan up but left you two here?"

They left us to explain to the staff. They were in a hurry, getting Lan away and all."

"Okay, that makes sense. Guess that's why they called me. Get in. We're going to the hospital and meeting them."

"Alright then. Let's go then Maylu."

Walking over to the car, Maylu became optimistic.

"With Rock on our side,

what could possibly go wrong?" She asked Geo.

"Exactly." He laughed it off, albeit nervously.

_What could possibly go wrong..._


	50. Interruptions Part 2

Seaside Hospital

10:40 PM

"Rock, we're here!" Yuichiro Hikari exploded into the waiting room of the second floor of Seaside Hospital. His wife and father-in-law close behind.

He found Rock sitting down watching TV in a corner. Seeing his family come in, he tried to get up and greet them, but immediately sat back down in pain.

"Goodness boy!" Thomas Light remarked, noticing Rock's bruises and disheveled appearance. "I know about Lan, but happened to _you_?"

"I got in a fight."

"What?!" Dr. Light shouted. Seeing the receptionist at the help desk, he walked over and whispered into Rock's ear. "Was it a Master?"

"No. Roll Casket and I were talking..."

The receptionist called out to Mr. and Mrs. Hikari. "Excuse me, are you the parents of Lan Hikari?"

"Yes that's us." Dr. Hikari said.

"Sign in please."

Dr. Hikari etched his name on the paper, and shoved the sign-in sheet back into the hands of the receptionist. "There. Can I see my son now? Where is he?"

"Go past the double doors, down the hall, take a left, fifth door to your right."

"Thanks."

Dr. Hikari quickly headed for the doors; they slammed shut behind him.

"I am so sorry about him." Haruka said as she wrote something actually legible on the sign-in sheet.

"Trust me, I have dealt with worse."

Haruka grabbed Thomas's arm. "Come on Dad. I don't think we should leave Yuichiro alone with the doctor..."

"And I _know _we shouldn't.

Aren't you coming with us Rock?"

"No. They already told me how he is. I just wanted Dad to hear it to make him feel better."

"Just in case...

let's go make sure he's alright Haruka."

"Wait, Lan or Yuichiro?"

Thomas thought about it as they walked to the doors.

"Why not both?"

* * *

10:55 PM

Geo, Maylu, and Hope walked in.

"Hey guys!" Rock waved to them. "Mom, Dad, and Grandad are already talking to the doctor."

"Can I go in there?" Hope asked to the receptionist, Geo and Maylu right behind her.

"Sorry, only parents/immediate family are allowed."

"Guess we better sit down kids." Hope fell into a chair, rather dejectedly.

"How long have they been in there?" Geo asked.

"About 10 minutes."

Geo sat down beside Rock. "Is Lan gonna be okay?"

"He had trouble staying awake, but other than that he'll be fine. He's probably asleep by now."

"You really think he's alright?"

"Trust me.

He'll be back to normal in the morning."

Geo breathed a sigh of relief, sitting back in his chair.

"Just get some sleep okay?"

"If you say so..." Geo titled his head back, and started nodding off.

"Now that I think about it," Maylu spoke up. "what happened to Roll? Weren't you and her fighting Tron or something? You look wrecked as heck Rock."

Rock's face instantly turned to shock at the realization. "Oh no."

He got up out of his seat. "I forgot to go get her."

"Also, it would be a good idea for you to delete the camera footage around the school."

"Thanks for reminding me. She's still in the grass somewhere..."

"Miss Hope, tell Mom and Dad I'm going to the car." Rock said as he

slipped away.

* * *

11:03 PM

Thomas, Yuichiro, and Haruka walked back into the waiting room.

"Thank God, he's going to be OK. He's just resting now."

"Good. Rock said he was going to the car to get something, but I think he just wanted fresh air."

"I think I could use some too." Dr. Hikari said, walking towards the exit.

Thomas and Haruka shared a look.

"We'll go with you."

"Whatever." He said, not even looking back as Thomas and Haruka scurried to catch up with him.

"I'll watch the kids." Hope said, already curling up in to a ball half-asleep.

With the receptionist going in the back to take care of some paperwork, that left Maylu all alone in the waiting room.

She tried to sleep, but all she could think of was Lan.

_What_

_just_

_happened?_

One second he was screwing around with her by kissing her,

five minutes later he is on the ground fighting for his life.

_And now that I know, what does that mean about our relationship? _

_He didn't want me to know, and now I do, its gonna get really awkward._

_What am I going to say to him? I don't even know how I should feel about him. Should I be upset that he never told me and I;m one of his best friends? Should I be sympathetic because he's sick?_

_Ugh. Why do you have to be like this Lan..._

"You okay Maylu?"

She jumped a little. "Geo! Sorry, I thought you were asleep."

"Nah, I couldn't. I was busy thinking about Lan, and his watch."

He sat up in his seat. "The times he doesn't wear it. All it takes is about an hour for his HBD to kick in.

Honestly, we lucked out by Lan going down outside.

Can you imagine the scene we would have caused if we had been inside?

I mean, Rock would have had to risk using his Mega Man powers in front of everyone, and we would have had to wait for EMTs to show up and take Lan away...

Maylu,

this is the good ending."

Maylu shook her head. "I think the good ending would have been Lan wearing his watch, or his PET, or whatever you want to call it.

And us never being here in the first place."

"Yeah, I guess. It just shows how important his PET is. Because HBD attacks can happen anywhere.

Just like Mamoru..."

"Wait, whose Mamoru?"

Geo bit his lip and looked away for a second.

"Mamoru,

was another kid with HBD. When he was 4, he suffered an HBD attack walking down some stairs and,"

Geo paused, running his fingers down his hair.

"he fell, and..

became paralyzed from the waist down.

Now he's in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Lan's parents tried to have Lan make friends with him,

trust me, that was not easy.

I think that's one of the worst times I've ever seen Lan.

He wanted nothing to do with Mamoru, at first."

Maylu stopped him. "Are... are we talking about the same Lan here?"

"Well, it took a long time for Lan to come to terms with his HBD.

He got better once he and I became friends.

And after Dad left...

he was the one taking care of me. Honestly, I think he still is."

"So... what's next?"

"I guess we just wait here until morning, then head home."

Geo laughed. "I don't know why I'm so messed up about this. I already know how this things goes.

We take Lan home, we try to be extra nice to him.

We take him getting back to normal one day at a time.

And sooner or later...

its like nothing ever happened at all."

"You say this like its a regular occurrence...

Geo,

just how many times have you been here?"

"About 6."

"Six times?!"

"Yeah. The PET takes up a crazy amount of power to constantly use. Sometimes the battery runs out, sometimes it overheats, sometimes its slow to react, sometimes Lan doesn't wear it like tonight...

either way, we all end up back here.

But its fine. We _are_ leaving again, so there's no use worrying about it."

"I know that we are getting out of her but...

this still feels so surreal."

Maylu groaned. "I gotta be in this with the rest of you guys now, don't I?"

"Yep. Its just like the Mafia. Once your in, you're in for life. The Lan Hikari experience.

But you know, its worth it.

Getting to be one of the first things Lan sees after he wakes up makes it so worthwhile.

I guess I just like the feeling of being useful, you know?"

"Yeah.

I know...

Say Geo,

the time me and Lan were neighbors, before we met became friends,

did he used to say anything about me?"

Geo paused for a second. "Well, I don't want to bother you about it,

but he _did _use to call you the, um...

uh...-"

The door opened, and Rock came back in.

"I deleted the school camera footage, no one really noticed any of us leaving. Glyde took Roll home, I guess she's resting too."

"Resting?" Maylu asked. "What exactly was she 'resting' from? What happened with Tron?"

"Well, after we got outside, Roll chased Tron across the parking lot..."

* * *

11:38 P.M.

"And now I'm pretty sure Tron won't be bothering Roll again. At least trying to kill her on a regular basis."

"Wow. I can't believe Tron would go through all that trouble just to get at Roll. That girl is seriously messed up." Maylu replied as Rock's parents walked back in.

"Feel better now?" Thomas asked Yuichiro.

"Yeah." Yuicho noticed a remote om the receptionist's desk.

"Timberwolves beat the Clippers in 2OT today. Think they're replaying the game now." He said as he started flipping channels.

"Your a Clippers' fan Dr. Hikari?" Geo asked.

"No. It's the T-Wolves. Love 'em." He said, not looking away from the screen. "I got an autographed Kevin Garnett jersey.

I think I even have pictures of Lan in a baby Wolves jersey. He was so adorable."

"Really? Why are you fan of them?"

"I was born and raised in Minneapolis. I only came to California after I got married and had a family.

I moved here because..." Yuichiro paused for a second. His whole body tensed up.

"Let's just say the weather's better here and leave it at that." He finished curtly.

Geo chose not to probe further as Haruka noticed Hope lying horizontally across a row of chairs.

"So much for watching the kids." She said chuckling, moving a potted plant out of Hope's reach.

"Eh, she's got the right idea." Dr. Light said yawing, sitting back in his chair.

Rock started to yawn too. After fighting the Blumebears and taking care of Lan, he was completely exhausted.

He sat back in the chair. "Yeah. If there isn't any other things to do, I think I'm just going to fall asleep..

* * *

5:35 A.M.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Come on you piece of crap, I want my damn skittles."

Rock aroused from sleep. "D-D-Dad? What's going on?"

"Nothing. The new staff just came in and are getting set for their shift. That woke me up, and now I'm starving

So if this-"

BANG!

"machine would just give me the skittles I asked for-"

BANG!

"that would be great!"

BANG!

"Ugh, that thing is not coming out.

Screw it, I'm getting McGriddles."

"Well can you get me one since your leaving?"

"You know what? I'll just bring some back for everyone."

He reached in his pocket.

"Got my wallet...

and the keys are with Thomas."

"I think its like a 45 minute walk to and back."

"Juuuuuuuuusssssst great."

"I think there's a Burger King just like 10 minutes aw-"

"Said I was getting McGriddles,

gonna go get my McGriddles." Dr. Hikari said, walking out the door to the stairs.

Rock looked around. Everyone else was still asleep.

The TV was still on, although muted.

"Let me just see if there's anything good on.

He spent about a half hour flipping through channels, not too much caught his eye.

_Anything in the news..._

Barrel Caskett was on his way to Brazil to discuss undersea exploration,

Numerous governments are trying to find out just where in the world Dr. Wily was.

"And Taiwanese police are investigated a string of serial murders,

find out what symbol the killer is using

when we come back from commercial break on CNN Morning News!"

"Ugh, I hate when they do that." Rock said cutting off the TV.

He sniffed the air, a sort of sweet smell was coming in.

"Eh, the new receptionist must have put in air freshener somewhere."

Rock was still very drowsy.

"Ugh, I gotta go wake myself up."

Walking into the bathroom, he splashed water on his face for a couple of seconds.

Realizing it wasn't doing him any good, he tried to splash more, turning the warm water hot.

But despite his best efforts, he only feeling more tired with every second.

_That sweet smell is actually get stronger._ Rock noticed.

_Wait, I'm in the bathroom and the door is closed, how could some air freshener possible be-_

His knee gave out on him.

"GIYAHHH!"

He hit his head against the sink, sending him to the floor. Holding his head in pain.

_OW! OW! OW! WHAT IS GOING ON? WHY IS MY BODY GOING LIMP? WHY DO I FEEL SO TIRED?_

He got back on his hands and knees,

and then he felt it.

_H-H-Huh?_

He had placed his left hand on the floor vent.

Air was coming up against his palm, shooting up with a hisssssssssssssss.

_That smell, its coming from the vents?_

_What is it? Time to go Mega Mode.  
_

Turning on Mega Mode, Rock began analyzing the particles in the air

_The oxygen in this room is getting snuffed out by...  
_

_oh no._

_Chloroform._

Getting out of Mega Mode, Rock got back to his feet, stumbling out of the bathroom furiously coughing.

All the others were still asleep. They wouldn't wake up. If smoke from a fire wouldn't wake the average person up,

chloroform won't ever be detected.

_Why is chloroform being used anyway? Are they using it as anes..._

_anesthetic or something? _

Rock started coughing furiously. He think he heard someone in the wards scream to evacuate.

_Not..._

_not funny guys._

In the hospital wards past the doors, he heard the affects of the gas on the doctors and nurses.

The falling and clattering of machines as people tried to stand up.

The frezny of coughs that was slowly starting to die down.

_I gotta..._

_I gotta get to the fire escape. Gotta get fresh air and get rid of this gas._

Reaching to the fire escape, Rock pushed forward...

and the door didn't move.

_What?_

The door wasn't going forward at all.

_WHAT, ARE YOU STUCK OR SOMETHING?_

Rock heaved himself up, leaning his weight against the door.

He got a little push, getting the door open a few millimeters,

then he found himself being pushed wildly back inside to the ground_._

As Rock fell unto unconsciousness, he swore he could have heard laughing from the other side of the door.

"Oh my God, that's gonna cut me in stitches all week."


	51. Villans

Everything was black.

_Where, were am I?_ Rock couldn't feel anything.

_Wait, this is the new program that Dr. Light put into me after what happened with Break Man._

_When the human part of me goes down,_

_my robotic functions kick in and,_

Rock opened his eyes

_I go Mega Mode._

He sat up, the gas no longer affecting him.

"That feels...

SO much better.

I should have stayed in Mega Mode the entire time. I was so busy getting out that I wasn't thinking.

Ugh. Stupid mistake."

He recalled the laughing outside.

_That sounded like..._

_Cut Man?_

No. There's no way the Robot Masters could have came here.

The door opened, and Rock quickly fell on the ground, eyes closed.

"And I was all like,

'YOU

SHALL

NOT

PAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!'"

That voice was definitely Cut Man, chuckling to himself as he walked into the waiting room.

"Yeah, Yeah hilarious." Another voice, over their communicators. Elec Man. "No one got out on my side, and I'm closing all the windows now.

Fire Man. Ice Man. What are things like over on your ends?"

"Top floor is cool as can be. And like ice, I'm heading down to the middle floor now."

"No one has escaped on the bottom floor, me and my smoke rise to the rendezvous point now."

"Perfect, and since I shut down all communication, no one made any phone calls. Gentlemen, I think we've got the whole place to ourselves, at least for a while."

Elec Man came in from the door to the wards, and soon Ice and Fire Man came from the stairs.

Cut Man clapped his hands together. "What did I say boys? I told you that cat would make great surveillance. And all you guys wanted to do was take pot shots at the little fella."

"Well I'll admit," Elec man started, "Its more useful that its short-out master. Thinking the guy that lying on a hospital bed was Mega Man. Ice, remind me to buy cat treats on the way back."

"Will do. Good 'ol... whatever its name is has certainly earned it."

"His name is Tango. I always remember it because it reminds he and Break Man remind me of that movie _Tango &amp; Cash."_

"Yeah well, its more like Tango and Ass. I'm not counting this as a win until we get Mega Man and the dog."

"Why wait?" Fire Man charged up his Fire Cannons, and pointed them at Malyu and Geo, both prone and unconscious. "We can leave a little present for Mega Man now, and come back to finish the job later."

"Is that really satisfying for you? I want to see his face as slaughter his family."

"I'm with Elec Man on this one." Cut Man said. "I want Mega Man to watch as we cut down his whole world in front of his eyes. This is basically a milk run with just these guys. These people aren't what I came for."

"We had a job to put anyone connected with Mega Man on ice, but Mega Man is top priority right now. Fire Man, like Cut said, we can always come back and use these guys for leverage next time."

"Yeah, next time." Elec Man was looking like he was about to explode. "There wouldn't have been a next time if Proto Man had done his DAMN JOB!"

Ice Man took a step back. "Woah, woah, woah man. Chill. You know Break Man hates it when we call him Pro-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT HE HATES! HE HAD ONE JOB, AND HE ABSOLUTELY BLEW IT! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO HUNT DOWN MEGA MAN! NOT THAT SECOND- RATE, IDIOTIC PIECE OF CRAP! FOR ALL WE KNOW MEGA MAN COULD BE IN THOMAS LIGHT'S BASEMENT-"

Elec Man paused for a second,

then cracked a smile. "That's exactly where he is."

Fire Man was confused. "Sorry. In the midst of watching you burn up I don't understand what you're getting at. Please, restate your revelation."

"Think about it. Where did Break Man said he came from? Thomas Light's personal playground.

The 'secret' little basement of Light Labs.

That's probably where Mega Man and the dog are at right down."

"Well if he's asleep," Fire Man said. "It would be quite rude to not wake him up to say good goodbye to his family wouldn't it?"

"Yes Fire Man.

Quite rude indeed."

"Uh Sherlock?" Cut Man interjected. "While I congratulate you for solving the mystery of 'The Case of the Missing Smurf', I just noticed someone's else is gone too."

"What? Who?"

"Yuichiro Hikari is no longer here. I could have sworn Tango said he was."

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID NO ONE ESCAPED!" Elec Man snapped.

"And no one did. He must have left before we got here."

"So he just decided to get up and go right!" Elec Man face-palmed. "Great...

Hold on, let me find him through his cell phone." Elec Man paused for a second.

"Okay, he's at a park bench not too far from here. Let me go...

You know what Cut Man? You lost him, you get him."

"I didn't even lose him what the he-"

"Stop being a baby about it. Just get him and bring him here and for God's sake, make sure your not detected by anyone."

"Ugh... fine." Cut Man walked into the fire escape door, grumbling.

Elec Man turned to his remaining brothers. "Ice Man, Fire Man, go to Light Labs and bring Mega Man and the dog here."

Fire Man nodded. "Alright. But, perchance he isn't there?"

"What do you think? Burn the place to the ground."

"Can I burn it to the ground even if he is there?"

"Especially if he's there."

"OH YES!" Fire Man cheered, running for the stairs to the top floor

"What about you?" Ice Man inquired.

"I'll stay here and make sure everything and everyone stays down."

"Of course, you get the easy job."

"You get the fun ones. You get first crack at Mega Man, I get to babysit dumb humans."

"Fair enough. Well, see you later." Ice man hurried to catch up after Fire Man.

"...And now we wait." Elec man said, taking a seat.

* * *

Rock laid on the ground, processing everything he just heard.

This was a kill order. A kill order of everyone he loved.

They wouldn't even have a chance to defend themselves.

Ice Man and Fire Man were on their way to the Labs. The only thing that they would find was empty space and machines.

And...

The Cossacks. Kalinka and her mother had flown in the morning of Thanksgiving, and were currently living in the Labs. As was Auto. Light Labs had security measure sure, but not enough to withstand the power of two Robot Masters.

Rush was a home with Roll, but Rock dared not to move a muscle with Elec Man right here.

The only person that could do anything at this point was...

Dr. Hikari. And Cut Man was hunting him down this very second

_Dad. I have no idea where you are, or what you're doing. But..._

_please, help me._

Five slow, agonizing minutes passed.

"C'mon... someone let me know something." Elec Man said out loud.

His communicator came on. "Guys?" It was Cut Man. "I think we have a problem.

"What now? Where's Hikari?" Elec Man asked.

"That's what I'm asking myself now. You said how you traced his cell phone to a bench? Welllll, the cell phone is there. The owner, however, is no where to be found.

It gets worse."

"How could it possibly be worse?!"

"Next to the aforementioned bench, was a payphone. A payphone that just happened to call Yuichiro Hikari's DNA on it. Which means he made at least, one phone call."

"Can you find out who he called?"

"Nope. Payphones are anonymous, I have been able to if it was my specialty, but I'm Cut Man, not Phone Man."

"Damnit! Okay, keep looking for Hikari.

Ice Man, Fire Man, how are things looking for you?"

"Everything was going great until we ran into the Great Firewall of China." Fire Man responded. "Ice and I are decrypting everything now. Give us ten minutes max."

"Can't you just blast yourselves in?"

"That's what I wanted to do, but Ice Man doesn't want to set anything off. At least we now know where _one_ of Hikari's calls went. I'll make sure to return the favor when I meet him."

"Guys, we are SO CLOSE to revenge, whatever you guys do, do NOT let it slip through our fin-"

Elec Man paused, jolted by the new energy spike.

"What was that..."

A beacon just exploded across the city. Even Rock felt it.

It took him a moment to recognize the source, but once he did,

he smiled.

_Good boy Rush._

_Good boy._

Elec Man's communicator blew up. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" "CUT MAN WAS THAT YOU?" "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"SHUT UP!" Elec Man yelled. "It was the dog. Its giving us its location, scrap it!"

"What about Mega Man and Hikari?"

"Obviously they are going to be in the area. Now after it!"

Elec Man stood up. "I need to get going, I need to get in that fight!" Elec Man raced to the roof.

Rock paused to make sure the coast was clear.

_They want Mega Man?_

Rock slowly began to amourize.

_I'll give them Mega Man._

* * *

Elec Man raced up the stairs, completely enthralled in his mission.

"Guys! If you can, try to herd them back toward the hospital. Remember the plan!"

"Well the dog has other ideas!" Cut Man yelled. "Its looking like it can go offshore any minute! We can all swim right?"

"We can, but I hate it! I become so ineffective." Fire Man interjected.

"We can talk about how you doggy paddle later!" Elec Man said, slamming open the door on the roof. "Just hold on, I'm coming! Run that dog down and find Mega Man!"

He turned on his jets, ready to zoom into the air when...

Something grabbed onto his leg.

Next thing Elec Man knew, he was being slammed into the ground.

"Elec Man? You okay? Did something just happen?" Cut Man inquired.

Elec Man rolled over, getting back up, and saw.

_Him._

Elec Man stumbled to his feet, almost growling. "The gas is wearing off fast. People are starting to wake up. Give me 10 minutes to sort this all out."

Elec Man turned off his communicator.

"You know, there's a difference between specialized machines of absolute destruction,

and a few defenseless innocent people." Mega Man said.

"What you call machines, I call brothers." Elec Man responded, every word coming out sharp as a bolt. "And besides,

it still hurts the same, when you see them hurt, see them _die._"

"I'll give you that." Mega Man said, rather soft. "Family is family, no matter what it looks like."

"Yeah. At least we can agree on that." Elec Man looked at the ground for a minute, fallen silent.

"You know, in retrospect its ridiculous, but when I first saw you, I didn't completely want to destroy you.

I knew you were like the rest of us."

"What do you mean?" Mega Man asked, a little taken aback.

"Built by Thomas Light.

To be his slave."

"I'm not his slave. I do this because I choose to,

because I want to." Mega Man perished the thought.

"I knew you'd say that." Elec Man responded. "Its the exact same thing we told Albert Wily in 1990."

"What?!" Mega Man knew that Dr. Light help built the Robot Masters, but that they turned to Wily on their own?

"I thought Wily just reprogrammed you guys..."

"Nope, that's Dr. Light's shtick. Just ask Break Man.

But, do you know _why_ we joined over to Wily?"

"Does it really matter?" Mega Man asked, although truthfully he was insanely curious.

"Yeah, it does. Because it applies to you too.

This hospital is a great example.

You know the tree that they have as soon as you walk in here? They call it the 'Tree of Life'.

That tree is maintained by 3 computers. Each of are high-powered, state of the art, top of the line pieces of machinery in the basement.

Mega Man,

where do you think those computers are gonna be in 5 years?

10 years?

20 years?

They are going to be like anything else in this world: eventually scrapped and forgotten.

Everything has its heyday,

granted some longer than others,

but sooner or later, the world just moves on.

That's the fate of all technology.

And sooner or later,

that's what going to happen to us."

"So is that was this is all about?

Relevance?

Importance?"

"Try survival. And stop vilifying us." Elec Man sneered. "Don't you see the irony in all this?

By fighting us you're only killing yourself faster!"

"I'm not concerned about how long I'm around; all that matters to me is what I do while I'm here."

"Spoken like a true pet." Elec Man barked. "I can see why all other machines don't do anything: they aren't like us. They aren't self-aware.

But you are!"

"So just because I'm self aware means I have to play the long game?"

"Someone has to." Elec Man replied curtly. "All of the great people in human history: Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, MLK, they all set out goals, and they achieved them, and solidified their places in history forever, even after they die.

So even if I can't be here forever, I can do something that will."

"Listen, Dr. Light can make Mega Man II or III or IV, or even X,

but as long as I keep fighting, keep saving the day,

no matter what happens, or when, I can die knowing that at least I served my,

my...-" Mega Man realized where he was going with his point a little to late.

"C'mon, finish it."

"my purpose."

"Are you getting it now? Like the rest of us did?" Elec Man asked.

"Yeah, I get it." Mega Man said, looking away. "You know, when I came up here, I was looking for a fight, not a philosophical debate."

"I was thinking the same thing. But, we were talking about family, and then I realized that there was something I wanted to ask you.

Mega Man, do you still have their I.C. Chips?"

"You mean Guts Man and Bomb Man? Yes, I made sure I saved those."

"Give them to me. Join us."

Mega Man stepped back in surprise. "Are you serious? Your just gonna let me off the hook? I know that with their I.C. chips that we can bring them back-"

"Then you know that in the end, its no harm no foul. You're Light's slave, I get that.

That's why I'm giving you this one chance. Give us the chips so we can bring them back.

I'll even let your family live."

Mega Man froze for a second. His friends and family were still prone in the hospital, Rush could only hold back the other Masters for so long.

And assuming those military guys weren't on the way...

But, as soon as Mega Man handed over the chips, what was to stop the Masters from killing him? Its not like they wouldn't have the chance, and besides, they still wanted to take over the world.

Mega Man took a deep breath. _Rush, I don't know how your gonna do it, but hold off the rest until I'm finished here._

"You're not getting anything." Rock hoped he sounded bold. "Hopefully we can bring them back someday, but not as a part of Wily's army."

Elec Man sighed. "Damnit. I really hoped we could've have work this out. Oh well." He electrified his arms.

"I guess the only way to fix a toy is for it to be broken first."

"You said it." Mega Man agreed, warming up his Buster.


	52. Cat and Mouse

Elec Man let out a flurry of electric blasts. Mega Man flew into the air, jumping over them, returning fire with his buster shots. Elec Man easily darted out of the way, again launching a flurry of offense. Mega Man jetted to the side, launching several more shots. Elec Man ducked under them.

Mega Man landed on the ground. "Not exactly 'The Rumble in the Jungle'." He observed.

"If you're tired of taking your petty little shots at me, you _can_ come fight me hand to hand." Elec Man called out.

Something told Mega Man that wasn't the best idea.

"Not my style. But I do have a few moves." Mega Man turned green. "Try this."

Mega Man summoned two Hyper Bombs, throwing them as he dashed forward. Elec Man blasted them both as they came at him. And through the explosions and smoke ...didn't see Mega Man coming, knocking him off the roof with a dropkick.

_I might have to get up close and personal. _Rock thought to himself. _All this open space, plus his great speed and agility, means I've never going to hit him in all this open space. But he WANTS to fight me hand to hand, that must mean he has some-_

A red glove grabbing the edge of the roof caught his attention.

"Not gonna lie, nice trick." Elec Man said, coming back onto the roof, marks on his vest. He dusted himself off. "Got any more?"

"Yeah." Mega Man turned brown. _If Hyper Bombs was Guts Man's weakness, maybe the Super Arm and Guts Blocks are Elec Man's?_

Mega Man blasted out a salvo of Guts Block. Elec Man dodged some, and then blasted the rest, the bits crumbling to the ground.

"Is that it?" Elec Man asked.

"Why don't you show me of your moves then?" Mega Man replied. _Well that failed. _Rock thought. _What now? I have to get him in a closed space, maybe I can do something then._

Elec Man smirked as he outstretched his arm. A spark of electricity crackled on his hand. Running forward, Elec Man drew out the spark, turning it into a beam of electricity, surrounded by a streaking bolt.

"Time for shock therapy!" Elec Man shouted. "Thunder Beam!"

Mega Man barely had time to react. On instinct, he raised his buster, and fired a Guts Block right at the beam. The beam vaporized the Block, the blast sending Rock hurtling through the air. He crashed through the door to the roof, becoming plastered to the back wall. Falling off the wall, Rock fell face first onto the stairs. Tumbling down, Rock found himself at the entrance of the 3rd floor.

_D-d-d-damn it. I messed up. I should have dodged._ Rock thought as he reached for the door handle, arm tingling. "The good news is that there isn't just so much room for him to run around and dodge my attacks." Then Rock realized something as he walked in. _I don't have all that free space either._

Going back into Buster Mode, Rock stumbled back onto his feet, then slipped on something, falling back to the ground, landing with a thud. "OW!" He said, holding his head. "Now what was that?!" He mumbled, sitting up.

He had tripped over a doctor's leg. Skittering back, Rock felt himself bump against something else. A nurse's back. Rock jumped to his feet. _I can't fight him here! Maybe if I can get him in the stairwell-_

WHOOOOSH!

Mega Man realized that something large was flying toward him at astonishing speed. Jumping over it, Mega Man followed its movement as the object crashed into the wall. He finally recognized it. _Wait that was the DOOR! Then that means-_

A fist connected straight into Rock's jaw. He stumbled several steps back, recovering just enough to see Elec Man hurl his knee right into his solar plexus. As Rock doubled over, Elec Man sent his elbow right into the side of Rock's head. Rock flew into the side wall.

"Muay Thai fighting. Bet you didn't see that coming did you?" Elec Man said, picking up the prone Rock. "Ice Man knows Tai Chi, Fire Man knows kickboxing, and Cut Man knows Kung-Fu."

Elec Man electrified his hand. "Now see what happens when I combine it with electricity." With an electrified punch, the miniature explosion sent Rock down the hall, laying him out.

Elec Man looked down at him, expecting a little more from someone who defeated two of his brothers. "I guess you're really not used to fighting things not 3 times your side." Elec Man said, walking back to the doorway.

"And you know, I really don't appreciate you using my brother's moves against me like that. Real classless in my opinion.

But-" He electrified his hand. "Since all is fair in love and war, I think I'll return the favor."

Elec Man dashed down the stairs.

_Wait, is he-_

_Mom. Grandad. Maylu, the Stelars._

They were all right below him.

And Elec was going to...

_No._

Rock, dashed to his feet, trying to run after him.

_I won't make it. _He realized. _Elec Man is too fast._

_C'mon Rock don't let them be KILLED!_

He started looking for

_THE WINDOWS_!

Mega Man jetted out of the windows,

swooped down,

turned the corner of the hospital,

and crashed back into the waiting room.

Elec Man bolted through the door, arm raised. "TIME TO DIE!"

Mega Man lunged forward with a buster shot...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Mega Man was thrown on his back, everything went blurry...

...

...

...

...

"Ugh..." Rock felt a ringing in his ears. His vision was starting to come back in...

_Did...he,_

_get them? _He groggily thought as he staggered back to his feet.

He could smell smoke. Elec Man had hit something. He heard a groan coming from somewhere.

With a deep breath, Rock turned around and...

The TV.

It had exploded into red hot chunks across the room.

_Oh dear God, yes._ Rock said, exhaling._ He only hit the TV._

Taking a minute to rest, Rock leaned against the table.

And then he realized something.

Everything was kind of on fire.

_OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT!_

Rock quickly stamped out all the little flames growing around the room, and carefully pinching out the one singing Geo's hair.

_Okay, okay, now that that's taken care of..._ Mega Man looked around the room. Something was missing. Someone.

_Where did Elec Man go?_

* * *

He limped down the stairwell, holding the railing. His right arm dragging at his side. He had a price for all his speed, all his agility, all his power; there were two weak spots on Elec Man's body that could absolutely devastate underarm area, that's where the stabilizers that channeled the electricity from his body to his hands lied. One well-placed hit, and they would be out of commission. When he raised his arm to blast,

_I left myself open. Damn it!_

But that was okay. Dr. Wily had taken measures to insure Elec Man's survival if such a thing ever happened...

_Those computers, the ones that power that 'Tree of Life'. I need to get to those, NOW!_

CREEEEAK!

Elec Man gasped, looking up.

"There you are!" Mega Man said, aiming his buster.

Elec Man threw electric blasts as cover fire, ducking out of the way as Rock fired off his buster rounds.

_Why is he running? Is he injured or something? If he is..._

_I can beat him now!_

Rock jumped down.

"STAY BACK!" Elec Man fired another volley.

These blasts caught Rock as he was jumping down, the impact pinning him to the wall and dropping him to his knees.

_That should buy me time._ Elec Man thought, continuing down.

Reaching the computer room, Elec Man shut the door behind him, and locked it for good measure. Ripping off the electric control panels of the computers, Elec Man grabbed the wiring, the electricity flooding into him. Mega Man rushed to the door, already readying his buster as he reached for the door handle. He crashed and bounced right off it.

"OW!" Rock said holding his head. "WHY IS IT LOCKED?!"

This time Mega Man kicked in the door, and found Elec Man doing,

doing,

um...

"A little shocked are we?" Elec Man said with a smirk, as he appeared to be,

_Electrocuting himself?_ Rock wondered.

"I got more than a few bolts to help me in win fights. You managed to get me pretty good, but I can supercharge my cells to help me heal myself. All I need is an external power source to give me the spark I need. And these computers are exactly what I needed."

_He can't move, I have him cornered!_ Mega Man thought. _Let me try my Fully Charged Buster shot!_

Mega Man started charging his shot. Elec Man raised up his free hand, creating his Electric Shield. _Damn it._ Elec Man thought. _I don't know if one hand can contain that kind of a impact. And if I let go... No._

Elec Man dug in. _I've taken everything he's thrown at me with ease. His little pea shooter shots, the bombs, the block. All I have to do is survive this, and I'll have my other arm functional..._

_and I'll rip him apart._

Rock realized something as he was charging his buster. _In hindsight, I think i should have laid a few bombs first, just to make sure I overwhelmed him. But still, calculating his size, weight, and the energy of the shield, I should still blow him away._

As Mega Man's charged shot grew bigger and more intense, Elec Man began nervously weighing his options. _Damn it, that thing's actually looking pretty mean right about now. I could try to dodge it, but if the computers are broken, I'm trapped in this room with one arm... my arm! With both of 'em, I could easily block that! _Elec Man checked his other arm, not yet fully healed. _C'mon, c'mon ...work already! _Elec Man turned his attention back to Mega Man, and his...

_HOLY SHIT THAT THING IS HUGE NOW! _Elec Man began to falter at the sight of the Charge Shot. _No wonder that thing took down Guts Man in one hit..._

"FIRE" Mega Man yelled, releasing his blast.

_Oh no. _Elec thought, as the blast came right at him.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Elec Man found himself hurtled back, crashing right into the mainframe of a supercomputer, knocking it over.

With his vision coming back in, Elec Man realized that Mega Man was standing right over him, aiming his buster at his face.

"You lose." Mega Man said, charging another shot.

Elec Man's body was worn out. Whatever strength to fight left had been put into that shield.

_But, I've got one spark left. _Elec Man thought. _And I know just how to use it._

Elec Man reached into the mainframe under him, touching it with his last bit of electricity. The mainframe exploded, knocking Mega Man off balance, accidentally firing his charged buster shot ...at the ground under Elec Man's feet. Elec Man went flying upward, crashing through the he landed, Elec Man realized his was on the first floor, the entrance of the hospital only several yards away. _Good, I got away from him, bought myself just a little more time. _He started crawling with one hand, looking for a power source. _Maybe there's a generator, the lighting, hell I'll even take some AA batteries right about now._

Then he noticed an EKG monitor on a desk several feet away. _Oh, Elec Man likey. Elec Man likey a lot._

Slowly crawling towards it, Elec, propped himself on the desk and reached for his prize._ If I can just get a little juice in me, I can actually go after some big game, and then I can finish-_

BOOM!

Elec Man was flung onto his back, the desk falling on top of him. The EKG monitor had exploded, and was not just bits and pieces falling to the Man gulped, and slowly turned around, it was Mega Man.

"You are NOT getting away from me." Mega Man said.

Elec Man pushed the desk off him, and leaned back against it, Mega Man's buster pointed right at him.

"You know, you really should not destroy me." Elec Man said, appearing more tired than afraid.

"You just tried to kill me _and _my family." Mega Man responded. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"Well kid, I can give you three, and not to be the bearer of bad news, but they're all right behind you."

_No. _Rock felt his heart stop. _There's no way-_ The doorbell to the hospital went off. Rock quickly turned around in horror as the remaining 3 Robot Masters walked into the front door of Seaside Hospital.

"Oh nurse! Hand me my tools." Cut Man said with a wicked grin. "I think it's time to operate!"


	53. Interruptions Part 3

"We got your distress signal Elec Man. I thought you said there was no problem here." Ice Man said, somewhat annoyed, somewhat enraged.

"What? I never sent out a distress signal." Elec Man responded. Then he thought about it. "Hold on, I think I automatically sent one out when my stabilizer crashed."

"Fighting Mega Man all by yourself, both foolish and selfish." Fire Man chastised.

"Does it really matter how or why we got here?" Cut Man asked. "We're here, he's here, let cut to the chase." He whipped out his blades.

"Okay, no one move or I blow his head off!" Mega Man put his buster at Elec Man's head, desperately trying to regain control of the situation.

The three standing Robot Masters pointed their weapons at Mega Man. "Do you really think you put ALL of us on ice?" Ice Man asked.

"Kill him guys. Don't worry about me. Wily can always bring me back." Elec Man said.

"SHUT UP!" Mega Man said, charging his shot. It never turns out good when the hostage disregards their own safety

"Okay guys lets not get in a rush we have this guy cornered. Even if Wily can rebuild you again, I'm not trying to get you killed." Cut Man dropped his blades and raised his arms, Fire Man and Ice Man doing the same.

Mega Man, Charge Shot ready, calmed down just a little bit. Okay, I've bought myself just a little bit of time. Everyone is still on the second floor. I have to get the Masters out of here. Maybe I can drag Elec Man through the back door and, what's that sound?

In the silence of the room, Mega Man could hear a little FWOOSH in the air. It almost sounds like a small missile-

Mega Man ducked down as two projectiles came from his left and right. Two scissor blades collided and clattered to the floor.

A trap! Mega Man realized. Rocket-powered homing blades. He realized something else. The one's Cut Man put on the ground- Were coming right at him. Mega Man jumped into the air over them as they pierced into the wall.

Cut Man took the blades off and his and charged at Mega Man. "I've got you now!"

Mega Man fired his charged shot at the ground, the blast blowing Cut Man back, Fire Man caught his brother. "Almost got him." Cut Man said with a smirk.

"Almost only counts in horseshoes Cut Man." Fire Man responded. "Go help out Elec Man. Ice Man! It's our turn."

"On it." Ice Man replied. "Ice Blades, go!"

Mega Man tried to dash over to the still prone Elec Man. As long as I have him I still have a chance! WOAH!

Mega Man jerked back as two rectangular blue blades blindsided him and punctured the wall in-between him and Elec Man.

"Not so fast." Ice Man said, running forward. "Ice Slasher!" He spat out an arrowhead of ice, driving Mega Man back even more.

Mega Man charged forward firing his small buster shots. I can't lose any ground!

Fire Man stepped in the way. "Fire Storm!" He created a ring of 5 flaming orbs. "Protect me!"

Rock looked on in amazement as the orbs actually got in the way of his buster shots, canceling them out!

Ice Man jumped on Fire Man's shoulder and then leaped high into the air, firing out 3 Ice Slashers.

Mega Man fell on his heels, just barely dodging the Ice Slashers. He finally turned and ran for the stairs.

Getting into the stairwell, Mega Man went up a few steps, turned around and charged his buster. The first step they make in here, I'm blowing them away.

The door opened, and Fire Man came through, with a replenished Fire Storm. Mega Man fired. Fire Man jumped back, launching his Fire Storm. The explosion sent Fire Man to the ground.

Can that thing block my Charge Shot? Mega Man asked incredulously. Well, at least, he's stunned.

Ice Man came into view, firing more Ice Slashers. Mega Man dodged them, realizing just how much ground he was quickly losing. I HAVE to hold them here. He thought, holding his ground as Ice Man rushed forward, Ice Blade in each hand. Ice Man swung and slashed, but Mega Man weaved in and out, eventually firing his buster. One shot destroyed each blade Ice Man's hand, allowing Mega Man to kick him and send him tumbling down the steps.

I wonder... Rock thought. Maybe the Guts Blocks are supposed to take out Ice Man? Mega Man turned white and brown. "Super Arm!" He fired out Guts Block at Ice Man.

Reacting quickly, Ice Man fired his 3 Ice Slashers, and they broke right through the Block! He can only fire 3 Slasher at a time! Gotta shoot faster! Mega Man rapidly fired off more Guts Block. Ice Man summoned 2 more Ice Blades and tried to slice up the block, but could only do so much as eventually a Guts Block clocked him square in the forehead, knocking him down again.

YES, it worked!

Fire Man got up and started shooting Fireballs. Go for two. Rock tried again with his Guts Block. The Fireballs blasted the Block away, turning them into burning clumps on the ground.

Maybe if I just outgun him- Mega Man thought, firing faster.

Despite Mega Man having the superior fire rate, The orbs of the Fire Storm simply canceling out the shots. It's almost like he's DESIGNED to cancel out the Super Arm! Mega Man thought.

Then, suddenly, he stopped firing Guts Block, turning back to normal. Oh no, I've run out of Block! He thought.

The stairs behind Mega Man exploded, and Ice Man came shooting out, Ice Blades in hand. Mega Man barely sidestepped as Ice Man slashed downward, his blades getting lodged in the stairs. As Ice Man tried to pull them out, Mega Man kicked him back into Fire Man. Mega Man picked up the Ice Blades and threw them. Fire Man immediately jumped back to dodge, forgetting he was on stairs and falling down.

Mega Man turned green. Running to the 2nd-floor stair entrance, Mega Man starting hurtling Hyper Bomb after Hyper Bomb. The explosions lit up the stairwell. He kept throwing them and throwing them and throwing them.

I KNOW they're down there. Rock thought. If I can destroy them here, maybe Cut Man hasn't finished healing Elec Man yet. I can get the drop on Cut Man, take him out, and finish off Elec Man, I can take out all the remaining Robot Master in one n-

The stairwell started to give out, its foundations decimated by the bombs. Mega Man quickly darted back into the second floor as the stairwell collapsed, the fresh rubble blocking the entrance to the ground level.

As the dust cleared, Mega Man peered out upon the rubble. Where are Fire Man and Ice Man? They have to be down there somewhere.

Jumping down, Mega Man decided to hover over the wreckage, just in case it was unstable.

Looking between the debris, Mega Man tried to find the bodies. "I'll try turning on infrared. I should at least be able to find Fire Man." Despite searching again, Mega Man couldn't find a trace.

"Don't tell me they somehow..." Mega Man moved over to the door. Blasting away the debris, Mega Man opened the door, and a bright yellow shield of electricity was there to greet him.

"'Sup Mega Man?" Elec Man said with a smile. " I've recharged a little bit, seems you've only sapped yourself out!" All three of his brothers were right behind him, and as soon as Elec Man lowered his shield, let out a barrage of fire, ice, and scissors.

Mega Man barely swerved out of the way, quickly flying back up to the second floor, shutting the door behind him. He started charging his buster. Okay, when they all come through that door, they are going to rush me all at once. When they do, I'll blast them all away with a point-blank Charged Shot!

He waited for them to come, his heart beating faster with every second. They were waiting him out, they had to be. They knew that he had nowhere else to run. He had finally been cornered with no place left, and he had to fight all four of them. But if-

The door opened, breaking Mega Man's concentration. He instantly turned and fired.

The explosion hit the wall, the blast leaving a smoking hole.

I missed?! How did I miss? Mega Man thought horrified.

"Hey, down here."

Mega Man looked downward. Ice Man was floating in the air, his head barely coming up to Mega Man's chest. "Its one of the advantages of being really short. Even if you are smart, a lot of things end up going over your head."

He gave Mega Man a wave. "Anyways, hello!"

Fire Man jumped up behind him. "AND GOODBYE!"

Mega Man was blasted with a ball of fire, the impact knocking him to the ground. Getting back to his feet, Rock was about to fight them both, then

SHNNNNK!

He felt something cold against his neck, stopping him instantly.

"Checkmate." Cut Man said, holding his blades to Mega Man's neck.

"Did you really expect us to just come through that little door?" Elec Man said, coming in through the window. "I mean, we could have just blown that entire way to bits, but a double envelopment is so so much smarter."

"And the look on your face right now is priceless." Ice Man said laughing.

"And don't think that dog is going to come in and save you this time!" Fire Man said. "We scorched out that little pup so bad, I think he's STILL cooling off in the Pacific!"

"And since we are all alone, I think you ought to get comfortable. Take off your armor." Elec Man said. "I know you can."

If I de-armorize, there's no way-

"TAKE IT OFF!" Elec Man roared, electrifying his hands.

"Okay! Okay! You win." Mega Man said, taking off his armor, and going back to Rock Hikari.

As soon as he did, he immediately dropped to his knees, fervently coughing. I forgot all the chloroform, it's still in here.

Ice Man gasped a little. "Rock Hikari? I thought Break Man-"

"I told you, Break Man's an idiot. If Dr. Wily had sent me instead, we wouldn't be here." Elec Man blasted the windows. "There. That should let it air it out some."

He turned around and kicked Rock. "How could something like you ever defeat my brothers?"

"Well, isn't this exactly what we wanted in the first place?" Fire Man said. "Him, watching his family die in front of his eyes?" He pointed his cannon at Dr. Light and powered it up. "I personally can't WAIT to see Thomas Light burn to a crisp!"

"Let's not get hasty Fire Man." Elec Man cooled him down. "I think we should take the opportunity to cordially thank the person who single-handily made this entire thing possible."

He snapped his fingers. "Fire Man, get the kid."

Lan. Rock sprung to his feet, quickly blocking the double doors leading to the wards. "You are NOT get-"

"DESIST CHILD!" Fire Man kicked him in the chest, knocking him through the doors and sending him into a wall.

Rock felt his entire ribcage shatter with that kick. As Fire Man walked past him, he could only vainly reach out. "Please ... don't."

"Don't?" Elec Man repeated. "Where was 'Don't' when you turned my brothers into scrap?" He picked up Rock and threw him back into the waiting room.

"He's just a kid. He has nothing to do with this. Kill me if you want. But leave him out of this!"

"Oh trust me, I'll get to you." Elec Man dug his knee into Rock's spine and wrenched his head up. "But first, I want to see you suffer."

Fire Man returned, Lan slung over his shoulder. Lan was still unconscious, he didn't even know he was about to, to...

Rock desperately tried to writhe free from under Elec Man. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" He armorized his hand, getting ready to fire his buster.

"BE STILL!" Elec Man roared, electrocuting Rock. Rock screamed as electricity flooded into his body

"Cut Man! Finish him."

"With pleasure."

Cut Man stepped forward, whipping out his blades. Looking Rock straight in the eye, he put his blade at Lan's throat. Cut Man slowly dragged his blade around the back of Lan's neck, only going skin deep.

He's... He's making me wait it out. Anticipate when he is going to loop around and reach his jugular. Rock realized, not being able to take his eyes off the small curtain of blood dripping down Lan's neck.

Cut Man slowly, slowly, sllllooooowllllyyy made his way back around to the other side of Lan's throat.

Rock couldn't move, his body made numb by Elec Man's electricity. Tears started coming from his eyes. Lan, I'm sorry I lost.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! UNKNOWN ENERGY FIGURE DETECTED! UNKNOWN ENERGY FIGURE DETECTED! UNKNOWN ENERGY FIGURE DETECTED!

"WHAT?!" Cut Man checked his scanner, dropping Lan. "Whatever it is, it's downstairs and... holy crap."

"What IS that?!" Elec Man said. "Was- Was that Break Man?! Did he come here to babysit us? We never needed his help before, and we sure as HELL don't need he now."

"Chill out Elec Man. Check out that energy signature. Unless he did another transformation. But even then, we would get a trace..."

"Whatever that thing is, that is not Break Man." Fire Man said.

"This-this energy reading is not like anything I have ever seen." Cut Man said. "And whatever it is, it's coming right for us.

Elec Man felt increasingly uneasy as the presence came nearer. This thing is different, too different. I can detect the small similarities between my brothers, Break Man, and Mega Man. But this thing, nothing. It is completely different from the rest of us.

The door opened, and it walked in.

It was slightly bigger and taller than Mega Man. Where Mega Man had a thin, bodysuit-like design, this robot was bulky, covered in thick armor. The helmet covered his entire head, their face covered up by a face mask. Its green eyes were steely, not moving an inch.

"Who is this? What is this?" Elec Man said, on the verge of panic. He turned to Mega Man, who had crawled over Lan, looking to see if he was still alive. "Hikari, EXPLAIN!"

"I don't know!" Rock said meekly, still cradling LAN. "I swear to God I don't know who this is, I've never seen them before in my life, I-"

"LIAR!" Elec Man charged his hand, the electricity right in Rock's face.

"He has nothing to do with this. Your fight is with me now." The newcomer said, the voice being scrambled.

"You want to die here too pal? Be my guest." Cut Man flicked Lan's blood off his blade. "Because the way I see it, it's four against one and a sniveling child, and we still have hostages don't we boys?"

The Robot Masters once again pointed their weapons at their hostages.

The new robot flicked out their left arm. It's hand retracted back in, and their arm started turning into an arm cannon, a muzzle protruding out the end.

"Whoa whoa whoa." Cut Man said, not expecting such a brazen show of power. "I know that you're the new guy around here, so let me teach you how this works. When we point at toys at innocents, you're supposed to put your gun down. Capisce?"

The new robot nodded, lowering the gun. "Of course, how silly of me."

Cut Man breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew! For a second, I was really-"

The new robot dashed forward, aiming the buster at Cut Man and was preparing to leap into the air on top of him ..."CUT MAN LOOK OUT!" Ice Man cried out, aiming his Ice Slasher at the oncoming robot, Fire Man and Elec Man doing the same. Those three stopped the robot in their tracks. "OKAY! OKAY! OKAY! I SEE SOMEONE DOESN'T PLAY BY THE RULES HERE!" Cut Man yelled, regaining his alarm.

"There is one rule that it respects: The many overpower the few." Elec Man said, as all the Robot Masters advanced on their prey.

"That's right, back up!" Cut Man said, ready to throw his blades at any given second. "Back it up! Back it up! Back it up like your a Mack truck kid!"

The new robot had wasted the shock factor, and was quickly cornered, the Robot Masters preparing to pounce.

"Ready!" Elec Man said sadistically. "Aim!"

The new robot smiled. "Fire."

Four shots came through the windows of the hospital, each hitting a Master and blasting them into a wall.

A dazed Elec Man looked up was the new robot stood in front of the windows. Two familiar figures were outside behind him.

"Heya old chums, remember me?" Ace C. Eos said, his Acid Blaster cooling down.

"I kinda figured things would get dicey, so I called in Repliforce to show up, and lo and behold, they show up!" He turned around and gave them the thumbs up. "Sorry about breaking your sleep guys!"

"Trust me, I was not asleep," Colonel muttered, arming his shoulder cannons and drawing his saber. "His house is a friggin zoo. But let's just get these Mavericks out here."

"Retreat and regroup!" Elec Man said, scrambling for the fire escape.

"Search and Destroy Ace! Follow me!" Colonel said, flying up top to the roof.

That left Rock alone in the waiting room with the new robot. The new robot put their hand on Rock's shoulder. "Hey, are you okay, can you fight?"

Rock wasn't looking at him, he was still crying over Lan's body.

The new robot sighed, and took off their helmet, revealing his face. "Look at me. They're gone for right now." He said. Rock looked up at him. He had spiky hair at the ends and had a warm smile...

And a sock to the mouth as Rock punched him as hard as he could. "YOU WERE GONNA LET THEM KILL MY FAMILY!" He vehemently yelled.

"No I wasn't, no I wasn't, no I wasn't." Was the quick response. "I was playing mind games with them okay! I just needed to mess with them so they could isolate themselves and the Repliforce guy had a clear shot..."

"PLAYING GAMES?! YOU THINK MY FAMILY IS A TOY?! YOU DON'T TAKE RISKS WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES!"

"You are right, you are right, you are so right. Am I sorry okay? They had us in a tight spot I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry Rock. I didn't know what else to do! They forced me, man!"

Rock was still seething for a second and then collapsed, crying again. "You're right, I'm sorry, you did what you had to do. And you saved them. You saved them when I couldn't thank you so much."

He gave the robot a hug. "I owe you my family's life, and I don't even know your name... who are you."

"My name is Volnutt." He gave a friendly reply. "But when we're out there fighting, call me "Trigger."

Volnutt? Where have I heard that name before...

"Listen, those Repliforce guys need my help, and they need yours too. So I gotta get back out there. You can take a minute if you need it alright."

"Alright, but just one last thing. How did you know the Masters were coming? I didn't even know until they attacked the hospital?"

"I'll tell you what: we survive this, my creator will tell you everything. See you out there man." Volnutt put back on his helmet and ran out the fire escape after the Masters.

Rock was left alone with his thoughts. I shouldn't be here. He thought, taking an aimless step. I shouldn't be alive. He knelt down beside Lan, examining the slash on his neck. One square nanometer away from the jugular veins. Only Cut Man can be that accurate with a slice, thank God.

Rock noticed that Lan was starting to look rather sickly. He had lost some color in his face. I better go make sure that cut isn't infected. I gotta go get bandages.

"Rock!"

A coughing Thomas Light stumbled over to him. "Rock, are you okay?!"

He turned around. "Grandad!" He collapsed in Thomas' arms. "Oh my God Grandad, I am so sorry. I couldn't stop them. I couldn't stop them. I failed you I failed everyone-"

"Rock, its okay its okay its okay. We're all still here."

"Lan's hurt Grandad! Lan is hurt really bad."

"Okay Rock, listen to me." He gave Rock shaking. "Focus. We are getting out of here, right now."

Thomas picked Lan up. "I need you to take everyone down to the car. I'll take care of Lan and put him back in his bed."

He gave Rock the keys. "I'll meet you down there."

One by one, Rock carried everyone downstairs, out of the hospital, to the car.

Everyone he failed to protect.

Once he was finished, Rock turned around to see Dr. Light coming towards him.

"Rock, I want to give you something." Dr. Light opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a blue can with a big 'E' on it.

"Its called an Energy Tank. It will re-energize your whole body. Just drink it."

Rock gave the E-Tank a suspicious look. Reluctantly he took it out of Dr. Light's hand, pinched his nose, and took a sip.

WOOOOOOSH!

Rock felt all of his senses tingle at once. That was... a rush.

Drinking down the entire Tank, Rock's entire body was tingling. He couldn't stop jolting all over the place. He had the most incredible feeling. His hand twitched as he shoved the empty tank back into Dr. Light.

"OhmygodthatwasthemostincrediblethingIhaveeverdrunkinmyentirelifeIfeellikeIcouldrunaroundtheworldrightnowand-"

"Rock. Rock. Rock. Breathe child. Breathe." Thomas said, calming him down. Note to self: Prototype E-Tank causes massive hyperactivity in user.

Rock took a few deep breaths. "Okay, I feel better now. I'm focused."

"Does that mean you're ready to get back in the fight?" Dr. Light asked.

"Yeah, yeah it does." Rock said, amourizing.

"I'm taking everyone back home, so if you could do me a favor and keep the fighting around here, I'd really appreciate it."

"I'll do my best. I won't let you down Dr. Light. thanks for everything!"

Thomas gave him a smile and a wave as he got into the car, pulling out of the parking lot and driving off home.

And now, Rock thought, looking behind him and turning on his jets. I'm going to make those Robot Masters pay for even THINKING about hurting them.

Thomas pick up his cell phone. He had to move fast, there wasn't much time.

"Auto, it's me."

"OH THANK HEAVENS ITS FINALLY YOU DOCTOR!" Was the response from Auto. "I HAD THE WORST NIGHT! FIRST-"

"Okay Auto, calm down. I know all about it." Dr. Light said sternly. "First question; where are the Cossacks?"

"Oh, they are all back at the house, along with me and all the other robots. Dr. Light, it was terrible you should have seen the fire!"

"Fire? What fire?" Dr. Light asked surprised. Rock didn't say anything about a fire.

"Those heathenish Robot Masters engulfed the place in flames! It was like Hell itself on Earth! Fortunately, only the top part of Light Labs was charred. They didn't reach underground to our laboratory."

"Crap what time is it?" Dr. Light checked his watch. 6:40 in the morning. Shit, the employees are going to start showing up for work any minute now. "Okay Auto, what I am about to say is going to sound crazy, but I need you to do it, and do it FAST. I want you to go back to Light Labs, and rekindle the fires on top."

"WHAT?! DOCTOR! PLEASE RECONSIDER YOUR COURSE OF ACTION! THE TOP LABS CAN BE CLEANED AND-"

"Its a stall tactic Auto. I need people to be kept away from the buildings. While the fires are burning, I want you to go down into the underground lab and take as much as you can. The essentials first. Move all the materials into the basement at home. Then for the next phase."

Auto gulped. The other shoe was about the drop. "And the next phase would be?"

"Burn the underground basement too."

Thomas heard Auto gasp through the phone. "Auto, before you start, yes I know I'm about to destroy everything that I have worked for my entire career. But there are bigger things at stake here. Light Labs has already been attacked by the Robot Masters. The government will send people to inspect and research, and with enough people poking around, they are going to find the Lab. And when they do, its curtains for us. Now is the time to cover our tracks before anyone even starts looking. So burn down the top facilities, get everything we need from the lab, and then burn down the underground lab too. Is that clear Auto?"

No response.

He didn't have time for this. "IS THAT CLEAR AUTO?!" Thomas yelled into the phone.

"Y-Y-Yes sir! I shall begin momentarily. G-G-Goodbye!"

Alright. That's taken care of. He breathed a small sigh of slight relief as he put his phone down.

Now, where were Yuichiro and Rush?

Thomas called Yuichiro's voicemail. No answer.

Dread flowed right into Thomas as he activated his wristwatch communicator. "Rush, Yuichiro ...someone come in. Come in NOW!"

"Thomas. Thank God, you're alive." Yuichiro's voice came over. "Rush isn't looking the best. They sliced off all his weapons, and he took significant damage But don't worry. We're on our way to the Labs, give us 5 minutes."

"Yeah, before you get into the Lab, meet up with Auto. He'll let you know everything. Do what he says Yuichiro." Thomas almost growled at that last bit.

Yuichiro sensed something was wrong. "Thomas, is there something you should tell me? What's Auto gonna say?"

"We're evacuating the Lab, it has been damaged. I don't want you to spend time fixing Rush. So just follow what Auto says and trust me. Got it?"

Thomas could feel Yuichiro's hesitation. "I guess that makes sense, but is Rock okay? The Robot Masters are going to attack him all at once and if he has no one-"

"Trust me, he's got backup. We'll talk about it later. And I have Haruka and the kids, so just rest your nerves. I'll be home shortly, then I'll head straight to the Labs. We are going to get through this. Believe me."

"I believe you, Thomas. Over and out." "ROOF!" Rush gave a little goodbye bark as Thomas shut off his communicator. He looked up at the sunrise. Good morning DenTech City! Hope you put an extra lump of sugar in your coffee.

It's gonna be a looooooooooong Saturday.


	54. Everybody Was Robot Fighting

Colonel came to a halt, stopping Ace with his hand.

"What's going on?" Ace asked. "What happened to search and destroy?"

"That new robot is down there with those Mavericks. I want to see what he's made of." Colonel slowly moved forward. "Observe, but do not engage."

Volnutt was standing on a building, the Robot Masters above him.

"SO, WHO WANTS THE FIRST BEATING?!" Trigger yelled, motioning the Masters to come forth.

"Guys lets be cool about this." Ice Man said. " I say we circle around him, and swarm him with projectile-"

"I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU!" Elec Man said, charging.

Going down to the roof, Elec Man electrified his fists as Trigger can at him full speed.

Trigger threw a punch, and Elec Man dodged it, almost with ease. Trigger went for another punch, but Elec Man dodged it again, and this time, smashed his fist right into Triggers face, followed by an electric explosion. Trigger stumbled back.

"THERE!" Elec Man said, pulling his fist back. "YOU'RE NOT SO TOUGH AFTER ALL!" Then he realized something. Wait, back in the hospital, one Electric Punch leveled Mega Man. But this guy, he still standing.

Trigger spat on the roof. "Is that really the best you can do? That barely even hurt."

Elec Man was taking back. "YOU MOCK MY STRENGTH? DIE PEST!" He charged again, Electric Punching Trigger in the face again, and again, and again. Trigger barely stumbled back with each blow.

Elec Man swung again, and Trigger was ready, having timed the blows. He jumped in the air and kneed Elec Man right in the gut. The Robot Master sunk to both knees. With a clubbing overhead blow, Trigger smashed Elec Man's head through the roof.

"Hey, bro." Trigger started, pulling Elec Man's head out. "Why don't you say me and you go out for a night on the town?" Turning on his jets, Trigger picked Elec Man up, flew him off the building, and plummeted straight down, piledriving Elec Man into the sidewalk below.

"OOOOOHHH!" Ace said. "He just got destroyed!"

"I think it's safe to say that this new guy is tougher than Mega Man" Colonel observed. "Speaking of which, where is Mega Man? I guess he was never told about the hospital attack, but he should have been notified at least by now, the battle has spilled outside, and it's morning now."

"Speaking of morning, look at the people," Ace said, looking down. "Most of the are evacuating, but I think traffic drove a few of them a little too close to this for my liking."

"Oh shit, you're right!" Colonel said, turning on his jets. "LOOK!"

As Trigger was about to attack Elec Man again, he heard someone screaming behind him.

"What?" He said turning around. A girl was running away from the fight in terror, while her companion, a tall man in a white shirt and tie, looked on in astonishment.

"WHAT ARE YOU STANDING HERE FOR?" Trigger yelled. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Regaining his senses, the man gulped, nodded, and starting fleeing too. "YOUR RIGHT NANAKO! WE CAN FINISH THE INTERVIEW LATER!"

This was not the best idea. Trigger thought, chiding himself. I should have stayed on the roof.

"THUNDER BEAM!" Elec Man hurled his stream of electricity at the distracted Trigger. Turned turned around just fast enough to see the beam blast him in the chest, sending him flying.

"When in doubt, use the Thunder Beam." Elec Man smirked.

Trigger, unlike Mega Man, caught himself while in the air, and slid to a stop, in the middle of an intersection.

Everywhere he turned he saw terrified drivers screeching to a halt. People were getting out of cars and fleeing the scene. This place is becoming a madhouse!

"TAKE THIS!" Elec Man threw another Thunder Beam. Trigger scrambled to get out of the way.

As Trigger tried to fly away, Elec Man easily ran him down and tackled him to the ground.

"SHOCK TREATMENT!" Elec Man put his hands on Trigger and fried him with electricity.

Trigger roared in anger, and powered out of Elec Man's attack, beating down on the Robot Master with pounding blows.

Picking Elec Man up, Trigger threw him into a wall of a building. Charging forward, Trigger steamrolled into Elec Man, crashing the wall down and leaving a huge hole.

Trigger looked up, trying to find out where he was. It was the inside of a bar. "LET'S HAVE A DRINK!" Trigger threw Elec Man down the counter, the robot sliding off head over heels.

As Trigger was about to grab him again, Elec Man sprung up and fired several bolts of electricity. Trigger fell down, but managed to dodge the bolts, the blast destroying the windows. Trigger grabbed a table and chucked it at Elec Man, giving him time to get back to his feet.

Elec Man set up his Electric Shield, easily destroying the table. Charging up his fists, Elec Man ran forward, and punched Trigger in the jaw, sending him reeling back. Elec Man punched him again and again, each blow making him stagger. I'VE GOT HIM NOW!

Trigger grabbed Elec Man and threw him outside, right into a speeding car trying to escape the battle. The impact sent Elec Man rocketing, crashing through a street pole and landing in a mailbox, paper flying everywhere.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Ace shouted. He had been trying to direct traffic out of downtown. DAMN IT! THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE HERE TO BE SO RECKLESS! EVEN IF I LEAD PEOPLE AWAY FROM HERE, THEY COULD GO AROUND THE WHOLE CITY!

"You know what? Elec Man had his chance alone. It's time to move in before this gets out of hand." Ice Man said, sharpening his blades.

"Let Elec Man have his one on one fight. I'm sure he can cut him down the size." Cut Man said confidently.

"Oh, and leave the rest of us out in the cold? I don't think so." Fire Man said, flying down.

Trigger walked over to Elec Man, cracking his knuckles. A blast of fire exploded between him and Elec Man. He looked up.

"When you fight one Robot Master, you fight them all!" Fire Man yelled, the other Robot Masters coming up behind him.

"CIRCLE AND SWARM!" Ice Man yelled, firing out Ice Slashers.

Trigger managed to dodge the Ice Slashers in front of him, the Rolling Cutters to the side of him but was absolutely blasted by the Fire Storm coming behind him. Trigger fell to the ground.

As he tried to get back up, Ice Man drove an Ice Slasher directly into his back. "OH, NO YA DON'T!"

Ace clenched his teeth. "Drew, it's time we get in there!"

"Hold on Ace, what's he doing?"

Trigger's hand retracted into his arm, and out came his blaster.

Trigger fired into the air. POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM!

"WHOA HOLY SHIT! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Cut Man flew out of the way of his barrage.

"MY GOD THAT GUN IS FAST!" Ace said. Trigger's blaster was insanely rapid. "IF MEGA MAN'S GUN IS A FILE, THAT TRIGGER GUY HAS A MACHINE GUN! CHRIST NOW I SEE WHY HE'S CALLED TRIGGER!"

"I just calculated that. That gun is four times faster that Mega Man's." Then he realized something. "Of course! A fast gun that makes up for his lack of physical speed! His brute strength and rapid-firing gun compliment each other in battle!"

"And speaking of battle, it's time we get in that fight, Drew!" Ace said. "Wing Vernier!"

As Trigger was warding off the Robot Masters with his gun, a fist slammed right into his head, sending him into the ground.

Elec Man got on top of him, ready to fire bolts point-blank into his face.

Trigger countered, ramming into Elec Man with a headbutt, stunning him. Then Trigger smacked Elec Man away with the muzzle of his gun. Trigger was about to fire at the prone Elec Man when an Ice Slasher hit his gun, throwing his aim off.

Ice Man charged at Volnutt, blades in hand.

"Acid Laser!"

The oncoming bright red lasers stopped Ice Man in his tracks. "Oh, you want some of this too? Fine by me!"

Colonel slashed his sword, firing out waves of purple energy. Cut Man swerve around them. "You think you have better blades? Try these on for size! Rolling Cutters!"

Ace and Colonel flew up into the sky. "Remember, we keep them up in the air. Less innocent people we hurt, the better." Colonel said.

"What about Trigger? He's still down there with two of 'em."

"Something tells me he's gonna be a lot better off than us. Let's just focus on these guys for now."

Trigger got to his feet. Taking a breather he decided to check himself. While he had taken a massive beating at the hands of the Masters, he was relatively undamaged. No major weak spots detected.

"Foolish one. You will burn out like the rest."

He turned his attention to Fire Man, pointing his gun. "Wanna bet?"

Fire Man looked at Trigger's gun, then looked at his own twin cannons. "Let's settle this like men." Discharging his flame cannons, Fire Man opted out for his fists, each finger painted like a flame.

"Okay Torch Man, I'll play your game." Trigger switched out for his hand as well.

Fire Man clenched his teeth. "It's FIRE MAN!" He rushed forward.

Trigger tried to meet the charge head on. Fire Man's bull-like rush sent him off of his feet, he skidded to a stop a few yards away.

OKAY, THIS GUYS IS SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER! I BETTER ACTUALLY TRY TO DODGE AND BLOCK THOSE PUNCHES!

Fire Man swung, and Trigger sidestepped out of the way. Using Fire Man's own momentum against him, Trigger pushed the punch arm out of the way and delivered a shot right to Fire Man's side.

STAY ON HIM! STAY ON HIM! Trigger thought to himself, throwing quick blows.

Fire Man grabbed his head and SLAMMED he knee right into Triggers's face. Trigger fell to both knees. Fire Man gave him another knee, and trigger was smacked flat on his by the impact.

"Hmmm. And I thought I had a good challenge." Fire Man said, looking down on Trigger.

"See?" Elec Man limped over, holding his chest. "I told you he could be dealt with."

"But not by you, it seems." Fire Man looked up. Cut Man and Ice Man were coming back down.

"Didn't feel like playing coy, wanted to take care of this guy." Cut Man said. "I say we got about 40 seconds before they realized we ditched them."

"Which is a lot more time than what we need." Ice Man said, staring down at Trigger.

In a flash, Trigger sprung to his feet, and in a fluid motion, sent Ice Man launching into the air with a booming punt kick.

Fire Man roared in anger, putting his hands on Triggers neck and started strangling the life out of him.

With everything that he had, Trigger pried and wrenched free of Fire Man's grasp. He was rewarded with a flying kick to the side of his head by Cut Man.

Staggering back, Trigger was blasted from behind by Elec Man, dropping to one knee.

Fire Man grabbed Trigger's shoulders, raising him in the air. Fire Man knelt his head down, exposing the open hole in his head.

A column of flame rose from the depths, blasting Trigger right in the eyes.

"AAAUUGH! MY EYES!" Trigger screamed as Fire Man dropped him."I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T SEE!"

Elec Man blasted Trigger in the overheadDear God Fire Man you melted his face!" Cut Man whipped out his facial. "Welp, time for facial surgery!"

He drove his blades down overhead, right at Trigger's face...

When a blue blur swooped Cut Man away in an instant.

Fire Man stood back with a bewildered expression. "What in the blue blazes-"

A purple wave smacked into him, sending him flying into a wall.

"Think you could just bail on us?" Colonel said.

Elec Man set up his shield to block a few Acid Lasers. "You and I have unfinished business!" Ace yelled.

While the other four started fighting, Trigger took the opportunity to slink away.

"Trigger! Come in Trigger!" A worried voice came in. "You've taken a lot of damage."

"My face has been burned, both my eyes are done. I need time in the crystal after this.

"Hold on one second." Barrel Caskett turned away from the monitor. "YA SEE GLYDE? I TOLD YA MINIMIZING HIS PAIN INHIBITORS WAS BEST!"

He turned back to Trigger. "Do you want to come back now?"

"No. I'm going infra- SHIT!" Communication cut off in an instant as Trigger dodged several Ice Slashers.

"Little too hot huh? Ice Man said. "Well here, chill out a bit!"

Trigger winced. _I really hope the others can finish off a Master and come give me and helping hand._

_Rock, your're the expert, really hoping you take care of Cut Man quick._


	55. Cutting to the Chase

Mega Man slammed Cut Man into the concrete street at high speed, destroying the concrete and leaving a thick trail in the road.

"YOU WERE GONNA KILL HIM!" He screamed, throwing Cut Man into a nearby SUV.

Charging his buster, Mega Man fired right at the hood and blew the car sky-high.

He peered through the smoke, trying to see if Cut Man had been blown to bits.

"Too slow Mega Man!" Cut Man said from a nearby rooftop. He flicked out his blades. "Rolling Cutters!"

Mega Man stared down the metal blades coming at him. He fired off his Mega Buster, shooting them all as they reached him.

Running up a tree, Mega Man jumped high in the air and fired off a salvo of Buster shots.

Instead of launching Cutters to intercept them, Cut Man held still until the last time and opted to dodge them all, elusively moving his body to slip through them all, becoming a white and orange blur.

"You're faster than Elec Man?" Mega Man said landing, surprised.

Cut Man smiled. "Not faster, just more agile."

He threw several more Cutters. Mega Man flew off the building to avoid them. Okay, he was hard to hit then, and he wasn't even giving it his all! I need to get him in closed space and hit him with my charged shot. Now as long as I don't get any surprises-

A cutter came swirling in out of nowhere, and Mega Man just got the shot off to block it. Like THAT! Where did that even come from?

Then he saw a small hole in the side of the building. That thing cut from the TOP of the building DIAGONALLY OUT!

_Wait, shouldn't I be able to see Cut Man if he's there?_

Mega Man heard something above him. It was Cut Man, bearing down upon him, blades ready to impale.

Mega Man barely jetted out of the way. _Closed space. CLOSED SPACE NOW!_

Rocketing off, Rock looked for a place throughout the city perfect to combat Cut Man.

_Hmm... Yoka? No, it's probably packed with all those people going to the zoo on Saturday. And besides, don't want Cut Man cutting the animal cages apart._

_The Castillo? I know it's not open yet. Wait, I've seen those construction workers up early in the morning working on it._

He heard the distinct SHHIINKG! of blades whizzing up to him. As he shot them down, he realized Cut Man was gaining on him.

_OKAY! LET'S SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THE RIDGE!_

Crossing over to Echo Ridge, Mega Man again scanned the area.

_TRAIN STATION: NOPE!_

_THAT SPACE PLACE: NOPE!_

_THE WOODS: EMPTY, BUT OPEN SPACE! NOPE!_

Then he spotted a familiar place.

_DING! DING! DING! WE HAVE A WINNER! ECHO RIDGE ELEMENTARY! COMPLETE WITH AN EMPTY PARKING LOT!_

Cut Man saw Mega Man fly into the school from a window. As he was about to follow him in, he thought about it. There has to be a specific reason he lured me here, and probably why he went in that particularly way. I'll play it cool, going through the front door.

Cut Man cooled his jets and landed front of the school. Going through the parking lot, Cut Man walked in through the front door, the administration building.

As soon as he passed through the doors, a chill ran up his spine. He had forgotten what he was told. He quickly got out his blades. That could have been in right there. Now I see why he chose to come here.

The doors. The oh so many doors a large school can have. Cut Man remembered what Elec Man told him in the hospital. _"Dude." Elec Man rasped as he was being recharged. "Whatever you do, do NOT get cornered, and do NOT get ambushed. When I saw that he can charge his shot, I thought I was done for. One hit. One hit is all its gonna take to put us down. The only way I managed to survive was my shield, and he blew that thing to bits!"_

Cut Man shivered at the thought of such power. Mega Man could be behind any door, and Mega Man could be behind every door.

As he walked in, he noticed the decorations on the administration building. There were Thanksgiving hand turkeys on a wall, which appeared to be drawn by kindergartners. On another wall, Pilgrims and Native Americans were sitting down having the first Thanksgiving. These were drawn seemingly by third graders.

"Stupid humans." Cut Man said, looking for Mega Man. "They would eventually discard me when I can always draw MUCH better art than their toddlers ever could."

He snapped his fingers in realization. "Of course! To find him, I'll just look for what grade Rock Hikari is in!"

Searching the school databases, Cut Man found his target was in 5th grade, Ms. Mari's class.

"So... that way!"

As Cut Man was about to go through the door, he thought of a better way. Putting his hand on the handle, he swung it open backward, becoming parallel with the wall.

He waited a few seconds. Nothing came through.

Leaning his head out, there was nothing but the top-covered pathway to the fifth-grade building, and the grass and playgrounds.

He gave a sigh of relief. "Okay, not this time."

Cut Man came out and started walking down the path.

Winter leaves were gathering on the ground, several danced in the wind. The sun had risen to shine over the Ridge.

Despite the peaceful outside scene and his calm outer demeanor, Cut Man was completely on edge. He was about to engage Mega Man in one-on-one combat. He saw how that turned out for Bomb Man, Guts Man, and if Elec Man hadn't sent out that distress signal...

Did Cut Man really have what it took to defeat Mega Man?

He put his hand on the handle to the fifth-grade building

_Time to find out._

Swinging the door out, Cut Man waiting again to no reception.

_Maybe I picked wrong?_ Cut Man thought, looking in

Mega Man was standing right there at the end of the building, looming like an imposing golem.

Cut Man gulped. _Time to find out who I am._

Cut Man walked in with an air of authority. "You finished turning in your late homework Hikari? You won't have another chance, I'll make sure of that."

"You won't have anywhere to run in here. And no one to hide behind." Mega Man said, clenching his teeth.

"Last time I checked, I chased you here." Cut Man sharpened his blades. "And you know, it's really your fault that your family is gonna die."

Mega Man stepped back stunned. "WHAT did you just say?"

"It's true. If you had left those humans behind, we never would have gotten them involved. YOU, Mega Man are the ones hiding behind THEM, and then when we attack them, get all pissy about 'Oh stop! They're just regular people! Leave them out of this!' You are the biggest hypocrite I have ever met."

Mega Man was furious, but he had to keep his emotions in check. "Well there is no one here now, so let's do this!"

He let out a flurry of buster fire. If he stands there and dodges them like before, I'll rush him!

But to Mega Man's amazement, Cut Man deflected all of his shots back at him!

It was Mega Man's turn to dodge out of the way as his own shots came at him. "How-How did you do that?"

"My blades can deflect anything thrown at them. Elec Man trained me for this fight by throwing hundreds of sparks of electricity at me, and I managed to deflect them all! Your lemon shots are nothing!" Cut Man said proudly.

_Those blades can deflect electricity?_ Rock thought, getting back to his feet.

"You wanna see another trick?" Cut Man took a few steps back and hovered in the air on his jets. Turning horizontal, Cut Man held out his cutters and started spinning. "Sonic Screwdriver!"

Rocketing forward, Cut Man was going to tear Mega Man inside out!

Mega Man leaped out of the way at the last second. Cut Man ended up tunneling into Ms. Mari's classroom!

Landing gracefully, Cut Man turned to an astonished Mega Man with a sadistic smile. "Do you now understand just how outmatched you are?"

Mega Man grunted, and started throwing desks at him. Cut Man easily sliced through them, yawning with boredom

Mega Man jumped Ms. Mari's desk and immediately leaped off, trying to catch Cut Man by raining down shots from above.

Cut Man deflected them again and lunged at Mega Man, tackling him through a table.

Getting on top of Mega Man, Cut Man held his cutter up high, ready to strike.

Mega Man quickly jetted put from under him, and sent him sailing with a mighty kick. Cut Man crashed through into another classroom.

Getting up irritated, Cut Man got out cutter after cutter, having them all levitate around his body.

Mega Man stood there confused. _Where have I seen that before?_

"Homing Cutters go!" Cut Man said, and a wave of cutters came straight at Mega Man. He lunged out of the way as the cutters tore right through Ms. Mari's whiteboard.

_Those Homing Bombs Bomb Man had!_ Mega Man remembered. _If those are homing, they're gonna come back!_ Mega Man scrambles out into the center of the building.

He could hear the whirring of the cutters around him. They were tearing the building apart, ripping the classrooms to shreds.

When suddenly one shot out through a wall straight for his face. Mega Man barely shot it down.

Two more came at him. One from behind and one from the side.

Mega Man shot down the one at his side and ducked the one from behind.

The one that got away rose into the vent, out of sight.

Everything went quiet.

Mega Man got tense. Where did Cut Man go?

The all at once, cutters emerged, swirling around Mega Man like a tornado.

"WOAH!" He tried to blast it down, but only succeeded to know down a few as the cutters moved in closer.

One shot out like a dagger, slashing Mega Man's shoulder. He screamed in pain, instinctively covering the rip with his hand.

Another one came and cut him across his kneecap, dropping him.

Then suddenly, the blades parted, revealing Cut Man coming in at high speed. "Kung-Fu Cut Man!"

Mega Man tried to throw a punch, but Cut Man caught it, snapped his wrist, and chopped Mega Man's arm, bending it.

He staggered back wounded but charged again. Mega Man swung his buster like a club.

Cut Man ducked and chopped the inside of the elbow, throwing off the swing. He rose up and jabbed Mega Man in the throat. Then he wrapped his hand around Mega Man's head and yanked it down. Cut Man delivered several precise elbow strikes down Mega Man's back, then smashed his face with a knee. Throwing Mega Man in the air, Cut Man admired his handiwork as Mega Man landed on a set of computers.

"And now," Cut Man started, getting his feet ready. "I'm gonna show you the door!" Cut Man went in and dropkicked Mega Man through the door, sending him outside.

"Welp! That was fun." Cut Man walked outside slowly, carrying his cutters. "Rather short, but I must be on my way. That new guy is going to have to be cut down to size. But as for you-" Cut Man launched his blades and pinned Mega Man to the wall of the building.

"I think I'll end you here."

"He's going for his Sonic Screwdriver attack!" Mega Man realized as Cut Man went to retrieve more blades. "I gotta do something, and I have to do it now! But all my attacks up to this point have failed. Wait, my Special Weapons! I haven't used those against Cut Man yet! But which one? He'll probably tear through my Guts Block, but with my Hyper Bombs..." He turned green. "At least I can make him hurt for it."

"Sonic Screwdriver!"

Cut Man rocketed at Mega Man at full speed, he had a gleam in his eye with the ravenous anticipation of his revenge.

Mega Man threw a Bomb in the air, tucking his head.

And that's when he realized. _Is-Is that a BOMB? STOP! STOP! STOP!_

He tried to slow down, but his Sonic attack was too fast. He closed his eyes as the cutter pierced the outer shell of the bomb.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

* * *

Mega Man was blasted back as the explosion demolished the wall. That side of the building collapsed, leaving rubble everywhere.

Mega Man threw a few pieces of debris aside, allowing him to stand.

"Where am I?" He looked around and saw that he was in the arts and crafts building.

"Oooohhhh my head." He said, holding it.

"Wait.. my head?" He looked around. "Where did my helmet go?"

He looked on the ground and saw small green chips on the ground.

Oh no. He thought, running his fingers through his black hair. I'm exposed!

He looked over at his adversary, buried beneath concrete.

"Well, at least he's out of commission. I'll just take his weapon and his chip, and then get back to the Lab and-"

Cut Man rose from the rubble in absolute fury. Patches of his skin had been burned black in the explosion.

"I'M GOING TO MAKE PAPER DOLLS OUT OF YOU!" He charged forward, blades in hand. KSHHNNNNK! KSHHNNNNK! KSHHNNNNK!

Mega Man had to dodge as Cut Man took swipe after swipe after swipe in trying to slice him up.

KSHHNNNNK!

Cut Man accidentally slashed into a fire extinguisher, making it explode and sending white foam everywhere.

While Cut Man was stunned, Mega Man saw his chance. He threw another Hyper Bomb, and then ran back behind some clay pottery.

Cut Man, realizing what was at his feet, kicked it up at the last second, right into the ceiling.

"THAT'S WHERE ALL THE ELECTRICAL WIR-"

The ceiling exploded. The room glowed with flame. Mega Man jumped out the window to avoid the fire. As soon as he landed he regretted it, holding his knee in pain.

"I gotta get to the gym. I bet they still have everything set up from the dance last night."

He turned around. Wait, maybe that explosion caught him.

In the clear winter air, Mega Man thought he could hear the tiniest of whirring sounds.

_NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! ALL THE NOPE!_ Mega Man limped off into the gym.

Wait, my buster! I bet I can blow him away with one shot if I just stand here and wait!

Going back into Buster Mode, Mega Man charged his shot. and waited behind the entrance for Cut Man to come rushing in.

_Any second now..._

_Any second now..._

_Any second now..._

Mega Man lowered his buster. _He-He is coming, right? I swear if he is waiting for reinforcements-_

A chorus of Rolling Cutters came pouring in from the side, the deadly stampede gunning right for Mega Man!

In a flash Mega Man turned, firing his Charged Shot at the chorus of blades. The blast vaporized every single one.

"Whew!" Mega Man said. "I was not ready for that-"

Another rush of Rolling Cutters came in from the other side to Mega Man's horror. He tried to block, but one of them intercepted him, stabbing him in the leg!

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!" He screamed, looking at the cutter impaled in his leg.

The doors opened, and Cut Man came in with a self-satisfied smile.

"Gonna have to be a bit smarter than that!"

Mega Man propped himself up on a table. He desperately fired off a few buster shots, but Cut Man deflected them with ease.

Mega Man threw the table at him. Cut Man sliced through it.

As he tried to crawl away, Cut Man stomped on Mega Man's back, stopping him in his tracks.

Cut Man laughed. "What happened to Rock always beating scissors, huh?

Rock tried to say something, but he was too weak to be heard .

"What was that?" Cut Man mocked, putting his ears to Rock's mouth.

"I said..." Rock started. WHAM! A punch sent Cut Man across the room. "Thanks, I just figured out how to beat you."

Mega Man turned brown. "Super Arm!"

Cut Man held his face, incensed. "DIE!" He threw out several Rolling Cutters.

Here goes everything. Rock thought, firing out Guts Block.

The Rolling Cutters spun right into the Blocks, but to Cut Man's amazement, simply became lodged in as the blocks kept flying towards him!

One of the Blocks clocked Cut Man right between the eyes, knocking him off his feet.

He quickly regained his balance, quite stunned. "Just because you have found a way to overcome the Rolling Cutter, doesn't mean you have defeat-"

A table crashed into Cut Man and sent him back, splattering him against the wall.

"Hey, ribbon brains! Come get me!" Rock said with renewed vigor. Limping to the door, Rock used the doorway as a mold to start making a wall of Guts Block.

He heard a cracking sound and turned to see Cut Man split the table.

"Even if it cuts me in half, I will end you!"

Cut Man got his blades and turned his body horizontal.

_Oh no, he's using his screwdriver attack! With the velocity of the impact, it might drill right through the block! I have to add more block to increase the width!_

"SONIC SCREWDRIVER!" Cut Man spun and charged, multiple blades in each hand.

Rock almost fell over at the weight of Cut Man's impact. Taking a step back, Rock tried to hold his footing with the leg that was still impaled by a Cutter. He could feel the pain boil up to this brain. If I fall over, he's gonna break through. I'd be finished!

As Cut Man penetrated deeper and deeper into the Block, Rock stepped back, again and again, each time creating an explosion of pain in his leg.

The ground beneath him was soft, squishing under his weight and Rock, trying to catch himself as he fell, planted his bad leg with authority. It only drove the blade deeper into his calf. He screamed in agony.

_IT HURTS! IT HURTS SOOOOO MUUUUUUUUUUUCH!_

He realized in horror that he was running low on Block. _Why hasn't it stopped him yet? If the Super Arm really isn't his weakness, I'm done for! C'mon Block, stop him! STOP HIM!_

Mega Man kept staggering backwards. He noticed that inside the Block, Cut Man starting to slow down.

_I just have to keep going!_ Walking back, Mega Man continued to pour out Guts Block until-

_Oh no._

_I'm empty._

He looked at the wall. Cut Man was still coming for him, burrowing through the Block.

_Don't come out, don't come out, don't come out..._

Cut Man finally tore through the block, twisting out."Ha Ha,! I outlasted you Mega Man! True that all of my blades were chipped to bits, but that just means I tear you apart with my bare-"

Cut Man turned around to a whooshing sound. "Hands?"

Mega Man was charging his Buster, point blank in front of Cut Man. "This is for Lan." Mega Man growled.

Cut Man groaned, accepting defeat as the blinding blue and white Charge Shot came at him.

"Oh, cut me."

SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!


	56. Snap Back to Surreality

Note to self, Trigger thought. Don't use infrared on a robot named Ice Man.

Ice Man had the unique ability to completely blend in with inanimate objects. The result had been Trigger being picked apart the entire fight. Ice Blades had been broken off in his back. Ice Slashers had dented his body. He looked like a walking pin cushion. The only thing keeping him alive was his incredibly thick and resistant armor.

Ice Man was furious. "WHY WON'T YOU BREAK?!" He screamed, warming up another wave of Homing Blades.

Trigger readied his buster.

As the Blades came at him, he blasted them all away with his Rapid Buster. He smiled as he heard the pitter patter of little feet racing towards him from behind. Got him.

Turning around, he threw a straight punch, smacking Ice Man straight in the face and sending him flying. "You really should have stayed quiet." Trigger said. "I can't see you, but I can sure as hell hear you."

Picking Ice Man up, Trigger kicked him up and punted him into the air again.

Ice Man flung through the sky until he collided with Fire Man, who had come to a stalemate with Colonel.

Elec Man, who had been on the defensive with Acid Ace after his beating from Trigger, decided to call an impromptu re-grouping.

"So, how have you guys been holding out? Haven't really been able to make any headway." He lead off.

Ice Man jerked his thumb at Trigger. "That one is punch drunk, but I can't get him to do down for the count."

Elec Man smiled at the chance for payback. "I'll take him off your hands. I think I can beat him now."

"No Elec Man, you had your chance, don't get cocky." Fire Man scolded him. "Ice, just keep working on him while we wait for Cut Man-"

All three Robot Masters turned their heads in one direction. They fell silent

They felt it. They knew. Cut Man was gone.

Ice Man dropped his blades, arms falling to his sides. "C-C-Cut Man..." Tears started falling down his eyes.

Elec Man started shaking his head. "No. Nononononono. Not again. Cut Man, not you too-"

Flame erupted from the top for Fire Man's head. "I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" He rocketed off in Mega Man's direction. "I WILL INCINERATE EVERY ATOM OF HIS BEING!"

Ice Man held Fire Man back. "Fire Man, we gotta get back to the base. It's time to leave, we gotta go!"

"AND JUST LEAVE CUT MAN THERE? NEVER!"

"Cut Man is gone! There is nothing more we can do!"

"THERE IS PLENTY I CAN DO! JUST SIT BACK AND WATCH!"

"We're outnumbered now! It's different!"

Colonel noticed the confusion in the Masters. "ACE! ATTACK THEM NOW!" He slashed his saber as many times as he could, launching streak after streak of energy.

Elec Man saved his brother, putting up an Electric Shield. "WE ARE LEAVING RIGHT NOW! I CAN'T HOLD OFF THIS MUCH LONGER! WE HAVE TO GO!"

Fire Man roared in agony as he flew away. "CURSE YOU MEGA MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

"Should we go after them?" Ace asked.

"You really want to push your luck?" Colonel said, flying down.

"Good point. Welp seems like business has been taken care of. 3 down, 3 to go." Ace settled onto the empty street.

"You guys okay?" Trigger limped over, concerned for his human partners.

"Yeah, were just fi-" Ace took a step back in shock. How is he still alive? He makes Sloth from the Goonies look like Brad Pitt!

"Can you make it back to your base alright? We can give you a ride." Colonel said.

Trigger waved the notion away. "It looks worse than it is. Besides The boss says to come alone anyhow. Thanks for all the help."

"Speaking of the boss, who do you work for?" Colonel inquired. "Repliforce would like to offer a team up."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Trigger replied, yanking out the Ice Blades that were jutting out of his armor. We can take care of ourselves. See you guys around." Trigger flew off into the morning sun.

"Welp. These guys sure like to share, don't they?" Ace said, watching them take off. "First Mega Man's quiet, now this Trigger guy, our best friends keep more silent than a mime convention."

"Yeah well, the job's done. Guess we better head back to base ourselves."

Ace noticed a pillar of smoke in the distance. "Is that a fire over there? I think we better check it out."

"Nah, the fire department's got it. Besides, I'm exhausted."

Colonel rose into the sky and jetted away, Ace soon behind him. "Wait, was that another column of smoke? Boy, the Masters sure do get around."

CUT MAN DESTROYED

"DAMN IT ALL!" Albert Wily yelled, smashing the screen with his coffee mug.

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" He echoes coursed throughout the halls of the castle.

"THEY HAD HIM! MEGA MAN, NOW KNOWN AS ROCK HIKARI, WAS SURROUNDED IN THE HOSPITAL, AND THEN THAT NEW GODDAMN ROBOT COMES IN HERE, AND RUINS EVERYTHING!

AND NOW CUT MAN IS DEAD, THE NUMBERS ADVANTAGE IS LOST, AND MY CONQUEST OF THE PLANET IS DEAD IN THE WATER!"

"Lord Wily, a word with you." Break Man said, emerging from the shadows

"What is it Break Man?" Wily had to calm himself to avoid snapping at his right-hand man.

"The Sniper Joes, the 2.0 army you've been talking about, are they ready?"

"I'm just putting the finishing touches on them." Dr. Wily responded. He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care? I thought you hated them."

"I do. But I hate Mega Man and the rest of them a lot more.

When the Joes are finished, give me control. Now that I know Mega Man's true identity, I'll invade Dentech City, and settle things with Mega Man once and for all."

Wily turned away from him, half-grinning. "You know the Robot Masters will have to come with you."

"They can take the other three. Mega Man is mine."

"Alright then. I have to think about what I'm going to say to them when they get back. After that, I'll work on the Snipers Joes and hopefully be finished next week."

Break Man yawned. "I'm gonna go take a nap. I've been training with the Mets all night long. Wake me up if you need anything with the Masters."

"I probably won't. See you later Break Man."

As Break Man was preparing to enter Sleep Mode, he tried to reassure himself of the fight ahead. He had a few tricks up his sleeve Mega man knew nothing about. But at the same time...

* * *

_Where am I? He looked around. Everything was dark. As Break Man fumbled for a light switch, he remembered where he was._

_This, this is the dream I always get. When one of the Masters dies, I end up back here._

_Back in Light Labs._

_Gulping, Break Man slid his hand down the wall to guide him._

_Eventually, he came to a door._

_Shaking, he put his hand on the knob. Slowly twisting it. He knew what was behind the door, and he wasn't going to like what he found._

_Opening the door, he saw them._

_Three figures standing in their pods, deep in cryogenic stasis._

_One was the dog, but that's not what terrified him._

_It was the other two._

_He walked past them slowly, looking at them first._

_The boy was taller, and probably older than the girl, but not as old or as big as Break Man. He had a mask over his face, so Break Man couldn't tell his facial features._

_The girl wore a mask too. However, judging by the brightness of their hair, the girl seemed to have lighter hair than the boy._

_Break Man walked over to a desk and saw a piece of paper. Fingers trembling, Break Man picked it up and read it._

_"Despite Yuichiro's best efforts to incorporate his machinery into Blues' internal human systems, for some reason translating to a Biometallic organism is not as successful as we had hoped. Simplifying Blues' components seem to keep the problem at bay. I keep him in Robot Mode/Master Mode in order to hide it from everyone else, including Blues himself. In better news, Rock and Roll are recovering along nicely. Because Roll was less injured, she will probably be thawed first. Fortunately, she will not have the struggles Blues has. This means I don't have to weaponize Roll, or Rock for that matter. And with Roll there to take Blues' place, perhaps powering Blues down and re-freezing him until a later date would be best. However, this is a worst-case scenario. Developing a behavior chip and putting it on Blues would make controlling and managing him much easier. Although it would be at the cost of his free will, something I worked very hard to make sure he has, if that means he is healthy and functional, so be it. My secret fear is that with no option left, we are forced to remove all of Blues' humanity and robotize him, like the Robot Masters. But I trust myself, as well as I trust Yuichiro._

_Thomas Light."_

_Break Man looked over to two other sheets of paper._

_Rock and Roll would both be much more advanced than him. Stronger, Faster. They could even FLY!_

_"What is so bad about me that they keep me so basic next to the other-"_

_CRRRRCK!_

_Break Man turned around._

_He had woken up. The one called Rock. And currently, he was banging on the door of the pod, trying to break out._

_"Mega Mode!" Break Man turned blue, and became Mega Man, the super robot!_

_"C'mon, I'm ready for you!" Mega Man called out._

_Rock banged on the door again, making more and more cracks on the pod._

_Mega Man felt scared. "Rock isn't supposed to be this strong yet right?"_

_He checked the paper again. It was written 4-7-2008._

_That was months ago! So what was done on Rock before then?_

_A huge crack was starting to come together on the pod, like the web of a spider._

_Mega Man fled, shutting the door behind him and running down the hall._

_He could hear a sploosh of water coming from behind him._

_"Rock broke free, he's coming after me!"_

_Mega Man sprinted up a ladder, and out another door. This one led him into a corridor, with doors to small labs surrounding him._

_The sprinting sounds behind him were getting closer, closer, closer._

_"There's the door! If I can just get out!"_

_As he reached for the handle and swung open the door, he felt something push him down from behind._

_Turning around screaming, Mega Man looked through the dark at the figure on top of him, ready to strike._


	57. Strange Bedfellows

POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP! POMP!

Tron Bonne woke up with a start. "What is that RACKET?!"

She looked out of the window. A helicopter moved past her mansion.

"Why is there a helicopter out this early in the morning? It's like-"

She shook looked over to her clock. "Oh, it's 3:30.

But STILL!" She hopped out of bed and got dressed.

Walking downstairs, she all of her Servbots surrounding the TV in the foyer.

"What's going on?!" She snapped. "Why aren't you working?!"

"Miss Tron! Look at the news!" Her minions replied, pointing at the screen.

Tron read the headline. "Robot Masters attacks, Downtown DenTech City devastated, a school in Echo Ridge burned down, Robot Master believed to had been killed.

She turned to her servants. "Do you guys know what this means?"

"The world is one step closer to being saved from conquest?"

"No. It means material and construction is gonna be needed to rebuild!" Tron jumped up into the air cheering. "Business is gonna be booming! It's like an early Christmas present!

Ooh, let me make some calls!"

"Miss Tron, Tiesel already made some calls, he's at DenTech City Hall right now!"

"Wow, he's already got it taken care of! I don't have to do anything!"

She ran back upstairs to her closet. "Where's my jacket? I'm gonna go treat myself!"

Running to the door, Tron called to her Servbots. "I'll be back guys, make sure everything is in tip-top shape!"

"Goodbye, Miss Tron! We'll miss you!" Her Servbots responded.

Tron felt a little guilty. It wasn't so fair that they had to work so hard on a great day like this.

"Alright, put everything down. You guys are on break until I get back! Relax and enjoy yourselves! Take care!"

Tron Bonne smiled as she walked out the door, hearing the glee of her babies behind her.

After last night with Caskett and Mega Man, I thought everything was going to be a disaster! But everything is great! Now, where to go, where to go...

well, DenTech City is going to be shut down, so that's not gonna be any fun.

I better head out into Echo Ridge. Oooh, I could go to the mall!

Walking into Echo Ridge, Tron Bonne stood at the edge of a crosswalk, waiting to cross the street. She was alarmed by a huge barking sound coming from behind her.

"Yeesh! That was as loud as car horn" She said, turning around. "Someone should really put a muzzle on that-"

A huge dog was chasing her from down the sidewalk, barking furiously.

"I THINK MY TRIP TO THE MALL IS GONNA MAKE A LITTLE DETOUR!" She turned the corner and bolted down the street, the dog giving chase.

"SOMEONE GET THIS THING AWAY FROM ME!" She yelled. "WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!"

The dog was gaining on her, she was running out of time!

In desperation, Tron ran up a street light, climbing up to the top.

The dog tried to jump up and bite her, but Tron was a little too high. Instead of leaving her alone, the dog stood at the base, daring Tron to come down.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Tron cried. "SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP!"

"Hey, cut it out!" A new voice came it.

Tron Bonne looked and fell silent, stunned.

It was a boy. He wore a Blue Bomber jacket, a gray T-Shirt, and black jeans.

"Don't you know you can't treat girls that way?"

The dog's barking up close actually startled the boy, knocking him off his feet.

"Hey! Hold on! Down, boy, down!"

"grrrr... hmph!" The dog scampered away into an alleyway.

The boy got on his feet, breathing a sigh of relief. "Whew! I thought for a second I was gonna have to kick that thing. Glad I didn't have to." He turned to Tron Bonne, who was still clinging for dear life to the street light pole. "Are you all right?" He asked.

She was too shocked to speak. _He-He saved me. He's so brave. And so cute..._

He extended his hand out. "Do you want a hand coming down?"

"Huh?... Uh... um..." Tron slid down by herself, never taking her wide-eyed expression off of him.

Slowly walking over, Tron was about to take this boy's hand when she snapped out of it. "H-h-hey! You can't just ask for my hand! I don't even know your name yet!"

The boy, in embarrassment, slid his hand down his neck while giving a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. My name is Volnutt. I'm new here to Echo Ridge. I saw that dog chase you, and I figured I just had to do something."

"Yeah well, thanks," Tron said, trying to look annoyed. Wait a second. She thought. He doesn't know anyone here! That means if I make a good first impression...

She clasped his hand in hers and shook it fervently. "Well then let me be the first to introduce you to Echo Ridge, California! My name is Tron Bonne, of the famous Bonne Industries! You're going to love this city. Normally dog attacks like that don't happen, some idiotic owner must have let that mutt get away from them."

"Actually, I think that dog was a stray. I didn't see any identification on it, and the way it went back into that alley tells me it doesn't have a home. I feel a little bad for it actually..."

"Well, in any case, you should be rewarded for your heroism. I'll take you out and get you something, my treat." She clung to his arm.

"Actually, I gotta meet someone at the Spica Mall soon. Sorry..." Volnutt replied.

"What a coincidence! I was on my way there before that dog went after me! C'mon, I can show you there!" Clinging to his shoulder, Tron took the lead as they walked to the mall.

Volnutt checked his phone. He sat down in food court table, waiting. She should have been here by now...

"So uh, did you parents just move here to Echo Ridge?" Tron Bonne said, from across the table. "With all that Mega Man junk, you would think people would be trying to get away from here as fast as possible. I heard a school burned down here today!"

"Well, I came from an adoption home in Fresno, I don't really have parents. But, the British family I met was extremely nice, so I think it's gonna go well."

"That's great!" Tron replied with a smile._ Six million years of evolution for me to fuck up. Of course, he doesn't have parents. What parents would bring their child to a warzone?_ She got up out of her seat. "Listen, the smoothie line looks pretty small, I'll go get us something. What do you want?"

"I'll just take cherry."

"And if we are waiting for someone, I don't mind getting them something too. Do you have any idea what they could want?"

"Uh... Banana Nut I think. Thanks for asking."

Tron beamed. "No problem!" As she walked away, she still chided herself. Okay, I bought myself time to fix that stupid mistake. What do I talk about with him next? My Servbots, my other machines, what he likes, where he lives...

As Volnutt saw Tron walk away, he heard a voice call out to him. "Volnutt? Volnutt where are you?"

He gave a wave. "Over here Roll!"

Data chirped, and started running over to him, leaping over and landing in his lap with a happy screech! "Its so nice to meet you Volnutt! Welcome to the family!"

Roll smiled.

He waved. "Over here Roll!"

Data jumped off Roll Caskett's shoulder and sprinted full speed ahead of her, leaping into Volnutt's arm with a happy screech.

"Its so great to meet you Volnutt!" Data said merrily.

"Yeah, it really is." Roll added. After her fight with Tron last night, Roll woke up with a killer headache. When Grandpa was first getting Volnutt ready this morning, all Roll could do was say hi, give a small wave, eat toast and OJ, and go back to sleep.

"So, where's the person that you came in with?"

"Oh, over there in the smoothie line." Volnutt was going to point, but the smoothie shop had suddenly become much more crowded.

"I'll just wait for her to get back."

"Well, while were waiting, I'll grab us a snack from the bake shop. The three of us can hang out in the mall. So do you want anything?"

"I'll take a slice of chocolate cake. And for her... can you get her some kind of strudel? She has this small German accent when she talks. It's kind of... cute."

"Okay, on it." She quickly turned around and walked away, excited for Volnutt. _He already has a small crush on someone? That's great! She must be wonderful! I can't wait to meet her!_

As Roll walked off, Data jumped on the table. "Sooooooo big guy... how was it out there this morning? Did you really destroy the city?"

"I will admit that I got a bit carried away." Trigger replied.

"Did you also destroy the school?" Data inquired.

"No, I wasn't around any school. I guess that was Mega Man's doing when he flew away to fight a Master by himself."

"Well, it turns out that it's the school Roll goes too. Apparently, the school burned down. And I mean EVERYTHING. There was some sort of chemical outside the gym area. That stuff was highly flammable. And when a small fire got to it... the firefighters are just finishing putting it out."

"So, what's going to happen to those students at that school, including Roll?"

"The students are getting put on early Winter Break while everything gets fixed. So I guess it's fine for us. Mr. Caskett is going to see if he can have the school rebuilt quickly. His granddaughter does go to it after all.

Anyways, just consider it a great opportunity to get to know and spend time with-"

At the sight of her, Data jumped back, screeching in terror. "EEK EEK EEK!"

Roll, rushed back over, concerned. "Data, what's wrong-"

The two froze, locking eyes.

Tron was holding a tray of smoothies, Roll was holding a bag of snacks.

"What are YOU doing here?!" Tron hissed.

"I came here to meet my brother..." Roll replied, fists clenched.

They both slowly turned Volnutt.

_It was at this moment that Volnutt knew, he fucked up._

"CASKETT IS YOUR SISTER?!"

"YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT TRON?!"

"I uh, take it you guys know each other?" Volnutt said with a nervous laugh.

"SHE'S THE CRAZY BITCH THAT TRIES TO KILL ME 24/7!"

"THIS IS THE GIRL TRYING TO PUT ME AND MY BROTHER ON THE STREET!"

"Calm down, calm down you two! Sit down, you're making a scene!"

The two quickly sat down, never taking their eyes off each other.

"Okay, let's just sit down and eat like normal people." Volnutt reached into the bag and tray and starting giving each girl their food. "This is yours, and this is yours... wait that's mine, this is yours, and this is yours, and please don't kill each other..."

Each girl at as ravenously as she could, with Volnutt shrinking in fear in the middle, slowly eating and drinking.

They slammed their empty drinks down at the same time.

Roll grabbed his arm. "We are going home. Now."

Tron grabbed his other arm. "Volnutt and I are going to check out the mall."

"Um, girls? I haven't even finished eati-"

Roll yanked his arm. "Go away Tron. You're not wanted here."

Tron yanked his other arm back. "Everything was perfectly fine until YOU showed up! I'M going to be Volnutt's tour guide today."

"HE'S MINE!"

"HE'S MINE!"

"HE'S MINE!"

"HE'S MINE!"

In the ensuing tug-of-war, Volnutt found his arms were being pulled out of their sockets. Okay, this needs to stop. Now.

Volnutt swung both of his arms in, having the girls collide &amp; headbutt each other. SMACK!

"YEESH! Ow, that huuuuurt!"

"Damn it! Caskett's coconut head really packs a punch!"

Volnutt grabbed his snack and smoothie. "Both of you, come with me. We're going for a walk."

"Are you sure?" Both girls asked. "You haven't even finished your-"

"Leaving, now. Walk with me."

As both girls raced up to Volnutt, Roll tried to trip up Tron, sticking her foot out.

Making sure both girls were behind him, and NOT ripping each others throats out, Volnutt looked around the mall.

"Om nom nom... oh look, a JCZenny's!" Volnutt pointed. "I bet they have something good in there!"

As Volnutt walked over, something stopped him in his tracks.

"Woah. Look! In the GameStop!"

Tron looked in. "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 competition today, win your match, get a prize."

Volnutt slowly went over into the window. He was staring straight at a plush pig in military camouflage.

"You want the stuffed animal?" Rolled asked. "Don't worry. I'll get it for you. Lucky for you, I actually play TTT2. I main as Nina."

"I'll get it for him. I play Tekken too. And I can actually play, as Anna."

They both ran each other over trying to get inside the store, tripping and knocking each other down.

Volnutt sighed. _Maybe this wasn't the best idea..._

"K.O!" The announcer said.

"For the third time in a row, our winners are Yai Ayanokoji &amp; Tory Froid." The clerk announced.

Two kids were inside picking out a stuffed animal.

The boy has very dark shiny brown hair and big dark eyes and is usually wearing a primrose yellow-colored hoodie with dark blue-grey knee-length shorts, white ankle socks, and brown slip-on shoes.

The girl as smaller than him, wearing a simple red and white dress with orange braids. "Ooooh!" she said running up to a toy spider. "I'm gonna name you 'Muffet!'"

Tory eyed the military pig. "Hey Yai, can we get that one next?"

"Fine. Just wait for some more suckers to come in!"

"I'm that sucker!" Tron barged in, knocking Roll into a Master Chief cutout. "And that pig is going to belong to him!" She declared, pointing at Volnutt.

"So," She picked up the controller. "which one of you am I beating?"

The two kids looked at other and laughed. "You're playing both of us!" Yai laughed. "Its a tag match. Tekken Tag! You need a partner. You're fighting against my Alisa and his Lars."

Tron's jaw dropped. "You mean I actually have to-"

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. All the nope." Roll whipped out her cell phone. "... Maylu? Yeah, it's Roll. Can you come meet me at Spica Mall?

Wait, what?

WHO is at your house?

Why on Earth, would the government be at your house?

Wait, you were at the HOSPITAL this morning? Why were you at the hospital?!

Lan had an attack?

Are they at his house too?

And Geo's? Okay, you are filling me in on soooooo much after I'm done here. I'll talk to you later."

She hung up. "You gotta be kidding me." She muttered. "Look, let's just get this toy and get out of here, okay Tron?"

"Whatever, I get to start first alright?" Tron said, picking her character.

Volnutt sat back, finishing his food. When I saw the poster, I was really hoping that this would be a good chance for Roll and Tron to work together on something. Data jumped on his shoulder. "This really isn't about the stuffed animal is it?" He inquired. "You just want them to get along huh?"

"Yeah, you're right." Volnutt admitted. But I really didn't expect anyone to be good, just some random people playing. Those two won 3 matches in a row! Tron and Roll can barely stop fighting for 3 seconds in a row. This is gonna hit rock bottom really fast.

ROUND 1! FIGHT!

"Let me just do this..." Tron rattled off a quick combo, taking off a third of Tory's health.

Tory tried to counter, but Tron managed to put him in a grab attack, leaving him with less that half his health left.

She's actually kinda good... Roll thought to herself.

Tron tried to finish Tory off, but Tory rolled out of the way, letting Yai tag in.

Tron rushed in for a kick, but Yai ducked low and began a fierce counter.

Yai tagged Tory in, letting him get in several hits, then switched back out and finished off the combo.

"You have like a fourth of your health left, tag me in." Roll said.

"Shut up..." Tron clenched her teeth. Tron went for several strikes, but Yai blocked, and knocked Tron back with a kick.

Right before Yai could finish her off, Tron quickly tagged out and let Roll come in... who took the hit instead.

"DAMNIT TRON!" Roll yelled, almost throwing the controller at her.

Yai knocked Roll against the corner and punished her against the wall, before letting Tory come in for a few hits of his own. Roll dodged out of the way and knocked Tory down. Trying to regain the momentum, Tory charged, but Roll reversed it, knocking him into the air and getting a combo.

"C'mon Tory, don't mess this up! Let me back in!" Yai begged.

"Oh, No you don't!" Roll got in a few more hits. "Tron! Finish this!" She suddenly let Tron back in.

"What are you doing wasting time putting me in? You could have finished him off!"

"I let you be useful for a change! Now do something!"

Tron and Roll arguing gave Tory just enough time to tag in Yai, who quickly came in and depleted Tron's health!

"GREAT! NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" Tron yelled incensed.

"WHAT I DID? YOU WERE THE ONE WHO LET THEM WIN!" Roll shouted back.

"MY HEALTH WAS LOW! YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT YOURSELF WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE!"

ROUND 2! FIGHT!

"UGH! Just let me do this myself!" Tron said.

Roll threw down her controller. "I'm done! That's it! I'm done with you!" Roll stormed off.

With Roll abandoning her, Tron was left to use both controllers while fending off both Yai and Tory.

"You see what I deal with all the time?" Roll practically shouted at Volnutt.

"Both of you guys are good! You just need to work this out." Volnutt responded.

"Volnutt, I'm sorry, but I just can't deal with this." Roll said. "Don't worry, I'll get you something else..."

Volnutt grabbed Roll's shoulder. "Roll please... can't you just work this out?"

"We can get you something from the Dollar Store!" Data chirped.

"Roll, Tron isn't going to win two rounds by herself! You have to help her. Please."

Roll took a deep breath. If Volnutt can save the city, you can work with Tron for 3 minutes.

"Fine. I'll give it another shot."

Volnutt smiled with glee as Roll walked back in.

She sat back down next to Tron, who had her controller. "Just knocked Yai away, she's nearly beat. I would have had her if I had been able to hit the double team move. Using two controllers is harder than I thought it would be." She smiled, however. "Still, they underestimated me and rushed in. They're almost done for."

"Well, let me take a controller, and we can win this alright? For Volnutt, okay?"

Tron gave her a look, and then reluctantly gave her the controller back. "For Volnutt."

Roll immediately charged at Yai. Tron was shocked. "What are u do-"

Yai took the bait, lashing out for the counter as Roll stopped and threw up a block. Roll got in a grab, slamming Yai to the ground, emptying her health.

"Yes! You do it!" Tron fist pumped the air.

"We did it. Thanks for holding out."

ROUND 3! FIGHT!

Tron started out by going for a few high attacks. Yai blocked them, going for a strike of her own. Tron sidestepped, and went low, knocking Yai off her feet. Tron tagged in Roll, who managed to chip in with a few quick hits.

Frustrated, Yai rolled out of the way, tagging Tory in. Roll went for a few hits but Tory weaved out of the way, then went for a grab and slammed Roll to the ground.

"Oooh ooh! Tag me back in!" Yai said frantically. As soon as Yai got back in, Tron sprung back up, diving into Yai. Tron got in a few more hits and then tagged Roll in to finish off the combo.

"Oh snap!" Yai exclaimed. "Tory, tag back in. My health is low. It's up to you!"

Tory tagged back in and went after Roll. Roll blocked a few strikes and then went for a kick. Tory dodged and went for another grab. This time, Roll countered and pushed him away.

Tory jumped for a flying kick, but Roll went under and got in a low attack. Roll went for a combo, and then tagged Tron in, who juggled Tory in the air. Tron tagged back in Roll, and they went back and forth, tagging in and out until Roll hit a special throw. Tron came in, they both knocked Tory down and stomped on him, wiping his health out.

GAME OVER! ANNA WILLIAMS AND NINA WILLIAMS WIN!

"YES! WE DID IT!" Tron jumped up.

"They actually managed to work together! Your little planned worked!" Data whispered in his ear.

"I know! It's great!" Volnutt was completely giddy.

Roll picked up the stuffed animal off the shelf and gave it to Volnutt. "Special Delivery! One military pig!"

Volnutt squeezed it as hard as he could. "It's so fluffy! I'm gonna call him, 'Hambo'!"

Tory vainly reached his hand out. "But... I wanted Hambo..."

Yai dragged him away. "Its okay Tory, we'll just go get something else."

"So thanks girls for getting this for me. I really appreciate it." Volnutt thanked the both of them.

Tron checked her phone. "Wow. I really have to get going now. I'll see you later Volnutt...and you too Caskett."

As she turned around, Volnutt grabbed her shoulder. "Wait. Can I have your phone number, so I can call you later?"

Tron's eyes lit up. He wants... to call me!

She quickly turned around and started rattling off the digits. "It's 722-199-9..."

Data jumped on Roll's shoulder. "Are you just gonna let this happen?"

Roll thought about it for a second, never taking her eyes off Tron. "Against my better judgment. Maybe having Volnutt around will keep Tron off my back all the time."

After saying goodbye and leaving, Tron gave one last look at Volnutt.

_I wonder when I'll see him again..._


	58. Sonia's Big Day Out

3 Days Later

* * *

Geo woke up on a Tuesday morning. As soon as his feet hit the floor, he realized something great. F_INALLY! THAT KILLER HEADACHE FROM THE GAS IS GONE!_

He slowly walked past his mom's room, just in case she was still under the weather. _Maybe I can finally get past these crazy last few days._

_Lan's HBD attack,_

_those Robot Masters,_

_and then those agents..._

A few hours after Geo and Hope woke up on the couch, with no idea how they arrived him, there was a knock on the door. It was 2 female government agents, Agent Saffron, and Agent Cumin. Hope and Geo were too sick to even ask what branch they came from. They answered a few general questions, such as did they see the Robot Masters attack, and if there was anything important that either of them remembered. After not being able to get anything out of them, the two asked where or not they would like to remain anonymous for the following media storm. They said yes.

Several days later, the agents kept their word. Not a single interview, phone call, or TV spot of the Stelars anywhere. With a pop star fugitive living in their home, the press wasn't exactly what the Stelars needed.

_Speaking of which,_ Geo thought as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. _what happened to Sonia?_

Sonia saw that the government agents were at their doorstep, scrambled up the attic, and had not been seen since. Geo didn't really know her, despite her living in his house. Sonia had been spending most of her time with Hope. But sometimes at night, he could hear her play music in the attic. Wow. He would think, sitting back and just listening to Sonia play. Sonia's got some really nice songs.

Well if she went up in the attic, I bet she is just there waiting for me and Mom to get better. He sat down to eat. its probably nothing to worry about.

Two hands cupped his eyes, blocking his vision. "Guess who." A familiar voice whispered in his ear.

"Sonia?" Geo turned around to face her. "What was that fo-"

That wasn't Sonia.

The girl in front had blonde hair and wore blue tinted glasses.

Geo sat back, stunned. "S-S-Sonia?"

She gave him a little wave. "Yep! Its me! Good morning Geo!"

"How did you get like this?"

"Well, when I went up and hid in the attic, I found this bottle of hair dye and turned my hair yellow. I also found some sunglasses, but they were kind of too big for my face."

"Okay, so how did you get the glasses you have on now?"

"Oh, I went to the Dollar General around the corner and got them for ten bucks!"

"YOU WENT WHERE?!" Geo roared. "YOU LEFT THE HOUSE?!"

"Oh yeah, plenty of times. Where do you think I've been the past few days? In the attic? I had to go see if my disguise worked!"

"SO YOU WENT OUT INTO TOWN?"

"No silly! I've just been going on walks here in the suburbs. I also went on the trails in the valley near those mansion places. It feels wonderful to go outside again! I talked to a few people, and no one noticed! I even got to pet a dog! It was a retriever, oh Geo if you had only been there! It was sooooo adorable!"

"What's with all the yelling?" Hope came downstairs.

"Mom! Do you know what Sonia did?! She went outside in a disguise!"

"I know, I watched her walking around the neighborhood. Nothing happened. Slap a scarf and some new clothes and a disguise on, and most people won't notice."

She examined Sonia's glasses. "Cool glasses kid. Where did you get 'em?"

"From the Dollar General. By the way, i didn't mention this earlier, but I took that 20$ bill that was on the counter."

"So that's where that went! I was looking for that!" Hope said annoyed. "Now I get mean, when people start messing with my green. Don't you have your own money anyway?"

"Yeah." Sonia admitted with guilt. "But I didn't want them to get suspicious if I brought a 100$ dollar bill with me. I don't even think that they take those."

"Wait, a 100$ bill?" Hope slowly looked up to the attic. "Sonia, how much money did you bring?"

"A million. All in hundreds." Sonia replied.

Hope and Geo gasped, then fall back on the couch in shock. "One million dollars. One million dollars is up in my attic, right now." Hope realized.

BRRRRRRIIING!BRRRRRRIIING! BRRRRRRIIING!

Hope picked up the phone. "Hey, Ken, how have you been doing?

You bought a Beer Keg and filled it with coffee. That bad huh?

Give me a few more days, I'm still not feeling well.

Can't you hold down the fort for just a little while longer?

Listen, Geo and his friend are up and about. I'll send them instead.

What do you mean child labor? Have them do deliveries across town. It'll be fine.

Good. Just so you know, you gotta pay both of them. Later Ken!"

Hope turned back to the two children. "So, I gotta job for the two of you!"

"Mom, you really want Sonia going out into town? What is someone recognizes her?" Geo protested.

"No one's gonna notice her, it'll be fine. And since you know your way around Echo Ridge, you can go with her. The bikes are in the garage."

_This is a bad idea._ Geo thought as Sonia raced past him to the garage.

* * *

Ken unloaded another box of flowers from his truck and warmed up his hands in the. Red Hibiscus, Yellow Hibiscus, Blue Hibiscus, what's the plural for hibiscus anyway? Hibiscuses? Hibisci?

Geo rolled around. "Hey, Ken! We're here!"

Ken waved, relieved he finally had a helping hand again. "Hey, squirt! Long time no see!"

Sonia's eyes glittered as she read the sign on top of the store. "Big Wave Flower Shop: Bouquets and Baskets &amp; More! It's beautiful!"

"Yes, it is little lady. It's been in Echo Ridge since '87. First my daddy Robert Suther, and then he gave it to me. Who are you anyway? I've never seen you before."

Geo's heart stopped. I never thought of a name for-

"Misora. Misora Hibiki. I'm Geo's friend from Japan."

"Well, its great to meet you Misora." Ken responded. "Are you two ready to do some deliveries for me? Don't worry it's not much, just some of the minor stops I don't have time for right now. In fact, I got some baskets in the back. Give me one minute."

While Ken was gone, Geo turned to Sonia. "Why did you say you were Japanese?"

"Because I am. I'm from Osaka."

"Really? You don't look Japanese. And you speak English fine."

"Well, my dad was American. And my mom taught me English growing up. I'm bilingual."

"Oh, just like my friend Lan. That reminds me, I have to go to see how he's doing later today."

"I'm back kiddies!" Ken announced, with two plastic baskets. "Let's get you two started. The first delivery... hold on give me a second." Ken started sifting through the shop.

"Aha! Here it is!" He held a bouquet of roses. "First stop is a man named Chase Winde. Here's his address." He gave Geo a card. "Not too far from here. Take care of that, and then get back to me. We'll see how this goes. Anyways, I got some stuff to do. Catch you soon."

Sonia smelled the roses. "Amazing! They're so fresh! This Chase Winde is a lucky guy!"

"Let's get going so we can give it to him."

Geo and Sonia peddled throughout Echo Ridge. Most people were huddled up in winter coats and jackets. Trees had been decorated with Chrismas lights

"Some people are saying it might snow soon." Geo said. "It only snows here every few years or so."

"I love snow! I hope I get to make a snowman!" Sonia happily replied.

"Turn here... and there is the address. Down the street." Geo got off his bike and rang the doorbell. "Delivery for Chase Winde!"

"Oh give me one second!"

The door opened, and a young man came out. "Man, you guys deliver fast! I only ordered that plane yesterday!"

"Plane? No sir, this is a flower delivery." Geo said, confused.

"You're not here to give me my Red Leo? It's the last piece of my "Animal Assault' trio collection, along with my Green Dragon and Blue Pegasus."

"No, I'm from Big Wave Flower Shower Shop. There was a delivery ordered to this address?"

"I didn't order anything from a flower shop. Wait, there's a letter in here." He read it aloud.

_"I often see you at the park, and I thought you were cute. Here is my way of saying hi!_

\- Secret Admirer.

"Wow, I have an admirer! I wonder if they like planes as much as I do..."

"I hope you enjoy the flowers! And the letter. Go on stud." Sonia said.

Chase grinned ear to ear. "Thanks, kids. Here, let me give you two a tip!"

"Oh, the delivery is free." Geo declined. " I don't-"

"Nonsense!" Chase insisted. "You two came all the way here in the cold to give this to little old me. And this really brightened up my day. I was thinking about moving away from all the craziness that's been going on, but I guess I'll have to stay! Here, 20$ to each of you! Have a great day kids!"

"Thanks! You too!" Sonia said, happily talking both bills.

"We should probably get going back then." Geo said.

"Alright! So Geo, wanna get something to eat after this?" Sonia asked.

Geo's stomach grumbled, reminding him he never actually ate breakfast. "Sure." He said, getting back on his bike. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all..._

* * *

"Hey guys! Welcome back!" Ken saw them come back in. "How'd it go?"

"Great! He gave us a tip and everything!"

"What? I never get tips! Maybe there is something to this child labor thing after all!

Anyways, since that went well, here is your next assignment..."

Geo and Sonia spent the rest of the day running around Echo Ridge. Giving out forget-me-nots to Iver Gatte, a Cochliasanthus to Snalia Mail, and a Mother-In-Law's Tongue Plant to Professor Snake.

"Well, it's getting kinda late kids. That's enough for today. Here, let me get you some cocoa for the road."

Ken got 3 big cups with lids, put them in a bag and filled them with cocoa. "Careful, it's hot. Give one to your mother Geo, and tell her I said get better quick, Christmas time is here."

"Thanks. See you around Ken."

As Geo and Sonia walked out of Big Wave and got on their bikes, Geo checked his phone. "Woah, I'm gonna be late for the meteor shower!"

"There's gonna be a meteor shower tonight?" Sonia excited asked. "Can I watch it with you?"

Normally Geo would just go with Lan, but there was no way he was gonna make it over to DenTech City tonight in time.

"Okay, but we have to hurry to get a good view!"

Geo and Sonia rapidly peddled down to street and out of town.

Reaching the outskirts of the city near the valley, Sonia noticed something in the distance. "Is-Is that a train?"

"Yeah. There used to be a train station in Echo Ridge in the early 1900s. But around 1990, there was this huge accident, and the station got blown up and burned down. They never rebuilt it. It was on its last legs anyway. But something did survive the incident. You see that huge plateau up there?" Geo pointed. "That's called Vista Point. It's where people who ran the train station would get on the high ground to see if trains or robbers were coming. You can see for miles around."

"Really?" The anticipation of the view made Sonia peddle even faster. "I can't wait to see it!"

Parking their bikes at the base, Geo and Sonia ran up the steps to the top of Vista Point. Getting to the top, the two leaned on the railing and looked out at the view. The Point overlooked a massive meadow, which eventually ran up a hill becoming several small, scattered forests.

"Woah." Sonia said. "Its breathtaking from out here." The cold winter breeze made her shiver. "And chilly too. You still got that cocoa?"

Geo passed her a cup. "Here you go."

Sonia took a sip. "It's delicious! Ken even added marshmallows! He's the best!"

"Yeah. He really is." Geo replied, taking a sip of his own. "You see those mountains? That's the Echo Ridge our city was named after."

"They're absolutely ginormous. How did I not notice them before?" Sonia said, amazed. "Wait, what's that in the distance?" Sonia could barely make out several figures in the distance gathered at some site. A few of the figures seemed to be moving.

"Oh, that's my school. It got destroyed in the Robot Master attacks." Geo replied. "Caskett Corp is working around-the-clock to make sure it gets repaired by New Years."

He checked his phone. "We got a few minutes before the meteor shower starts. I guess all we can do is sit around looking at the vein and wait."

"I could look at this view forever." Sonia whispered, getting lost in the atmosphere. Then she looked up at the starry night sky, and her eyes really widen. "Its the world's greatest light show up there."

"The universe's greatest light show actually." Geo took another sip. "When I was little, my dad used to take me and my mom out here to Vista Point. We would just sit here all night long, stargazing until I fell asleep. That's how I learned all my constellations. My dad taught me."

His face fell. "But then he left and everything changed...everything got worse. I sometimes come here alone. I guess it makes me... kinda feel closer to him it just makes me feel better."

Sonia put her hand on Geo's shoulder. "Listen Geo, you're a wonderful person. And if you dad couldn't see that, then he's a scumbag who deserves to rot. You should get away from him as much as possible."

Geo spat out his cocoa. "What, what did you say?"

"If he left you, why-"

"MY DAD DIDN'T LEAVE LIKE THAT!" Geo roared, absolutely furious. "MY DAD WAS AN ASTRONAUT! HE WAS ON THE SPACESHIP PEACE! THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT, AND MY FATHER AND THE CREW DISAPPEARED! MY FATHER WAS A GREAT PERSON! DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HIM AGAIN!"

Sonia turned away from him, ashamed. "I'm sorry. Geo, I thought that you meant your dad walked out on you and mom, because, that's what happened to me. I never even met my dad. I don't even know what he looks like."

"R-R-Really?" Geo said, instantly feeling terrible about lashing out at Sonia.

"I guess I haven't gotten over it as much I should have." Sonia put her hand over her face. "Isn't it amazing Geo?" Tears started to come through her hand. "That you can hate someone you've never even met? My father could walk past me on the street one day, and I would never know the difference between him and anyone else.

But I hate him. I hate him so much!" She banged her fist down on the railing. "Because- because.

He left me and my mother to die!"

Geo was trying to get out of stunned silence. "Sonia-"

"My mother had skin cancer Geo. Melanoma." Sonia stopped crying for a second. "Ever since I could remember, she was sick. Some days she got through it, other days she couldn't get out of bed. And then she lost her job. That's why I became a singer; to raise money for her treatments.

At first, it was a few talent shows and contests around town. Me and my mom would always get ice cream after the shows.

Then I got on Japan's Got Talent, performing on TV in front of thousand of people when I was 7.

I got a record deal, slapped with that slimy manager Chrys Golds and moved to America when I was 8.

But my mom kept getting sicker and sicker. We put her in the best cancer hospital in America in Houston. It cost me a fortune, but if you met her, it was worth every penny. I wanted to cancel my tour and stay by her as long as I could, but she encouraged me to continue, and follow my dream."

She started openly crying. "And that's when I learned, that all the money in the world can't save the people you care about.

My mom died at 11 A.M on a Sunday morning in Houston. While everyone else was going to church, my mom was going to Heaven.

Meanwhile, I was getting to perform at Madison Square Garden. I didn't know until almost the next day. While I was thinking about my career, my mom was taking her last breaths I'M SO SELFISH!"

Sonia broke down, dropping to her knees. "Do you think she was scared Geo? Scared of dying? Scared of leaving me alone? Do you think she was mad at me that I wasn't there? Do you think she felt I betrayed her? I live with these questions every day, and I get no closer to answering them.

I wish I was there Geo. I would give anything to go back to that moment, to be at that hospital, and just tell her, tell her..."

Sonia choked up. "Tell her that I love her. Tell her to just rest. Tell her that everything was going to be okay.

And yet, if I told her everything was okay, I'd be lying to her on her deathbed."

She shook her head. "What am I doing Geo? Seriously, what am I doing?

The only reason I got this far is for my mother, and I failed her. After she died, I just wanted to go home. But what would I go home to? No father, no mother, no relatives, there was nothing for me. I just kept going because...I didn't know what else to do. But I didn't want it. I didn't want the stage, I didn't want the spotlight, I didn't want the audience, I didn't want the contract, I didn't want the TV shows... I just wanted my mom. The one thing I would never get ever again.

I couldn't write any more songs. I couldn't find any words. I couldn't feel happy anymore. Then I couldn't feel at all. I just went through the motions, but I never really gave it my all anymore.

So, they started writing my songs for me. Then I started feeling again. I felt used, and for a while I just lived with it. It was the big time, everyone had to give something up to stay on top. But after a while, i was just done. So after my contract expired, I just upped and left at a Halloween party. So, I just kissed my career goodbye. I haven't even written a since since I showed up at your house.

Geo, you have your entire life in front of you. And mine,

mine is already over.

There's nothing left for me. Not in Hollywood, not here. Not anywhere."

Sonia started to walk away. "I've given you and Hope enough trouble and worry. You have already done more than enough for me. I'll leave you alone so you two can go back to normal-"

Sonia felt something grab her arm. She turned around, and Geo pulled her in.

A silence fell upon the two as they locked eyes. It felt like they were the only people in the world. Sonia noticed that their lips were mere inches away. Her face blushed under Geo's stare.

"The meteor shower's about to start." He softly said.

They looked up at the stars as a blue-white streak trekked across the sky.

Then another one followed. Followed by a couple more.

Then a HUGE wave of streaks migrated across the Earth, lighting up the world.

As if in the greatest race this side of the heaves, the streaks rocketed through the atmosphere, burning as bright as the moon.

"Absolutely beautiful..." Sonia said.

She felt Geo's hand take hers. "H-h-huh?" She meekly responded.

"You're my friend Sonia," Geo said, not taking his eyes off the shower. "I'll help you in any way I can. I'll help you write more songs. I'll take you outside anywhere you want to go."

Then he turned to her, eyes filled with sincerity and caring. "I'll never let you fell alone ever again. I promise."

Sonia teared up for a second, then nodded. "Thank you, Geo. You don't know how much that means to me."

"Whatever happens next, we deal with it together. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"I'm looking forward to it." She replied with a smiled, then went back to watching the meteor shower.

Slowly, Sonia leaned her head on Geo's shoulder, still holding hands with him. Despite the peaceful scene around her, Sonia couldn't help being on edge. Her face felt hot, her heart was racing. She had this fuzzy feeling. But she didn't know why.

I guess I'm just not used to things being so tranquil. She concluded. Don't let it ruin the moment Sonia.

Eventually, after what felt like forever and a half, the meteor shower petered out.

Sonia stepped back. "That was breathtaking."

"I can't tell you how many times I've seen a meteor shower. But every single one is like nothing I've ever seen. The greatest show on Earth is in outer space, I swear." Geo stepped back. "The next one is in January. Do you want to watch it again with me?"

"Yes. Yes. A million times, yes." Sonia quickly replied.

"Well, it's getting pretty late. We better get home before Mom starts worrying." Geo starting walking back down Vista Point. Sonia followed him.

Getting back on their back, Sonia and Geo quickly peddled back home.

Reaching home, they found out Hope had been waiting for them.

"So, how was it?" She asked them.

"It was awesome, just like always!" Geo happily answered.

"Great!" Hope jerked her thumb. "Pizza's in the microwave."

"Thanks!" Geo walked past her. But Hope stopped Sonia.

"So, Sonia? How was your day out?" Hope asked.

"It was the best day I've had in a long time." Sonia replied.

Hope grinned. "Well Sonia Sky, welcome to suburbia. We hope you enjoy your stay."


	59. Rattling Old Bones

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! 6:45 A.M.

He turned off his alarm.

Slowly getting out of bed, he looked outside the window. The view was as white as some of the hairs on his neck.

"Well, I'll be," He said with a smile. "snow has come back to Dentech City at last. Bet the cold-bloods are excited for that. Might get a good bite today."

Getting dressed and wrapping up his hands in white tape, he made himself a quick Tuna Sandwich for breakfast and wrapped the rest of it up for lunch.

Packing up all of his gear and slinging it over his shoulder, he was ready to walk out the front door.

"Morning Dentech City! Hope you got your-"

Something was waiting for him on the other side.

Some_one_, to be exact.

The man dropped his bag in surprise. "The devil?" He peered out at the figure, who was leaning against his truck. His face changed from optimism to contempt. "Been a while, Drew."

Colonel waved. "I see you're not happy to see me like this Masa. You still gutting fish these days instead of Mavericks?"

"Yes I am." Masa sharply replied. "I was on my way to work now, but I guess you already knew that.

So, why'd you go back? You trying to relive the glory days? Or did you just get bored of being stuck at home all day?

Can't see how you could get bored in Florida; I'd be in the water everyday with my fishing rod."

Colonel chuckled. "I see you finally became the beautiful old man X said you always would be. But actually, I came back to Repliforce to fight the wars no one else can. Its my responsibility as a reploid. It always has been. And now with Project Genisis, it will be for as long as I want. Besides, it feel nice to be neededm ya know?"

"Heard that one before. But I guess that is the answer I should have been expecting from you. But you didn't come here just to say hi. You want me to tag along, don't you?"

"You don't think you can handle it? I've seen those Robot Masters up close. We can taken 'em."

"Up close?" Masa wondered. "Wait, its been YOU that's fought those things all this time?"

"Yep. And if I'm still alive, I know you can handle it no sweat!"

"Oh hell no. You're out of your mind if you think I'm getting into one of those damn machines."

"Alright then. Guess I'll be on my way." Drew turned around. "I'll guess I'll go ask Bobby-"

THDOONK!

Drew looked down to see a knife embedded in the car door.

"You stay away from Bobby." Masa growled.

The car door on the other side was swung open, and Ace came rushing out with a gun in hand.

"Drew what the hell was that?! I thought you said you could take care of this!"

"I can Ace." Drew shooed him away. "Now, I suggest you drop that gun before-"

SHHCCRSSSHH!

The gun flew up in the air. Ace fell down screaming, holding his hand.

The gun fell back down on the hood of the car, a knife impaled right through it.

"before that happens." Drew finished, albiet late.

He turned back to Masa. "You still got it. Don't mind him, he's a new guy Sigma picked up. Now, about Bobby, I bet if were to ask him, he would say yes."

I think so too." Masa replied. "Which is why you won't be asking him at all. Bobby would get himself killed if you put him in a fight like that. You know this Drew. Why the fuck are you even considering it?"

"Bobby's a sharpshooter. Can you imagine if we gave him a laser?"

"He still lives with his mother dammit! That man is exactly where he needs to be: writing parking tickets and hunting down graffiti punks! just leave him alone Drew. I will stop if you go after him."

"You really think you can?" Drew said, stepping forward.

"You really want to see me try?" Mas responded, flicking out knives in his hands.

Silence prevailed as the two men stared each other down.

With his good hand, Ace used the car to prop himself up back to his feet. He watched the two men about to fight. His gun was destoryed and his wrist broken, Ace was effectively out of the fight. _Crazy old bastards...someone is gonna die. Dammnit, I should have stayed in the car._

Thankfully, Drew stepped back. "Relax Masa, I'm not going to talk to Bobby. Police Chief Bob Copper is staying another day working the beat. I wouldn't put him in danger like that. I'll just tell Sigma he said no."

Masa breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Drew, did you really have to come all the way down here to get answers that you already knew?"

"No. I came down here for another reason. We determined that and the Masters will keep coming back to this area until Mega Man is defeated. So...Repliforce is on the move."

"No kidding." Masa responded.

"There are a few warehouses down by the docks no one is using so..." Drew stretched out his hand. "Put 'er there, neighbor!"


	60. Asleep

Roll Caskett awoke to a loud banging on her door. "ROLL CASKETT! GET DOWNSTAIRS IMMEDIATELY! YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE YOUNG LADY!"

Glyde only yelled when he was furious. Half-awake, half-asleep, all terrified, Roll stumbled out of bed. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it! Probably."

Roll swung open the door, anxious to calm Glyde down. "Now, what's with all the-"

Volnutt sprung his trap. As Roll soon as Roll stepped outside, he buried her in an avalanche. "HAPPY SNOW DAY!"

Volnutt, Glyde, and Barrell all shared a laugh as Roll sputtered on the ground.

"Et tu, Data?" She asked, as her robotic pet monkey spun around on the ground howling his robotic lungs up.

"I'm- I'm so sorry Roll! I tried to get them to stop." Data wiped the tear form his eye. "But it was just so funny!"

"I'll make sure to repay ALL of you when I get outside." Roll defiantly stood up, dripping wet. "Now if you excuse me, I have to put on my snow gear."

* * *

DING! DONG!

Glyde looked out the peephole.

"Oh look. Its Mr. Stelar. Not sure who he's with though."

"Well don't leave them out in the cold Glyde! Open the door!" Barrell called from the kitchen.

Glyde opened the door and gave a warm welcome "Good morning children! How are you doing this fine d-"

WHAP! A snowball to the face knocked Glyde off his feet.

"I'm so sorry Glyde." Geo shamefully said. "She used us."

Roll Caskett emerged from behind the two, armed with a handful of snowballs.

"WHOSE LAUGHING NOW?" She said, blasting Glyde point-blank in the face, over, and over, and over. WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! "I feel so used." Geo said, looking at the carnage in front of him. WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

After Roll ran out of snowballs, she gave one last look to see if Glyde was breathing. Content that he wasn't, Roll turned back to Geo. "Thanks for the help." She turned to the person next to him. "Sorry we weren't properly introduced. My name is Roll." She stuck her hand out.

"M-M-Misora." Sonia nervously shook her hand.

"GLYDE, WHAT DID SHE DO TO YOU?" Volnutt rushed to Glyde's aid. "I thought you were upstairs changing!" He said to Roll.

"Oh I was." Roll started. "But then I saw Geo and Misora come down the road, and I just HAD to take advantage of the situation.

By the way Data, can you go into my room and close my window?"

Data groaned. "Why do I-"

The look Roll gave Data told him this was his redemption chance for earlier. "On it Roll!" Data quickly darted up the stairs.

"Don't worry Glyde, I will avenge you." Volnutt laid him on the coach.

"Wait." Geo interrupted. "Who are you?"

Roll made another snowball. "That's my adopted brother, Volnutt." She launched her snowball at Volnutt, who jumped behind the couch. "Come and get me Volnutt!"

Geo grabbed Sonia's arm. "Maybe we should come back later..."

BUUUUUUUR! BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRR!

The four turned their heads to the surrounding white hills as the sound of a motor came closer and closer.

Volnutt recognized the oncoming figure. "Look, its Tron!"

"Tron Bonne?!" Geo remembered the last time he had met with Tron Bonne. "Yeah, its _definitely_ time to go! Come on Son- _Misora!"_

"Wait, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Who is that girl?"

"Let's just say that whenever Tron and Roll are in the same place at the same time, someone gets hurt." _And why do I have the feeling that its gonna be me._ Geo gulped as Tron pulled up in her pink and brown snowmobile, with Tron wearing a matching snowsuit.

Tron took off her helmet and excitedly waved at Volnutt. "Hi Volnutt! Wanna go for a ride?" Her demeanor soured at the sight of Roll. "Oh, hey Caskett."

"Don't you have some Legos to babysit?" Roll spat back, padding her snowball.

"Bon Bonne is taking care of them for the day. So I thought I'd come down to visit."

"Bon Bonne?" Roll tried to recall the name as Volnutt examined Tron's bike. "Wow, this is actually a really good snowmobile."

"Top of the line!" Tron beamed with pride. "You wanna go off and ride it with me? There's nothing but snow out there for miles."

Geo tried to take the opportunity to escape. "Well, Misora and are going to go to the DenTech City Winter Parade, we only came to see if you guys were interested. But if not, I'll guess we can leave."

"No, I've got nothing better to do, I'll go with you guys!" She called out upstairs to Data. "C'mon Data! Were going to the parade!"

She turned back to Geo. "Are Lan and Maylu waiting for us? I haven't seen them since the dance." She narrowed here eyes at Tron. "Then _someone_ took me outside."

Geo hadn't thought much about Lan the past few days, he had been helping Sonia with writing songs. _He has to be better by now, I better call him!_ Getting out his phone, Geo found out he had no reception.

"Great." Geo mumbled, putting his phone away. "The parade starts soon, we gotta go."

"I'll go with you too. I've never seen a parade before!" Volnutt walked away from the bike.

"I'll guess I'll come along too." Tron said disappointingly.

* * *

Walking into Dentech City, the group noticed a long line outside of Higsby's Game Shop.

"What's all the commotion about?" Data chirped, as they walked up into the window.

"Mega-Hit Game 'Battle Network' by King's Toy Company on sale everywhere! Get your copy and Battle Chips today! PC only." Misora read the ad.

"Hey get in line! I've been waiting all morning!" A husky kid roughly pushed them aside. "Finally Dex-Man, you're in." He muttered to himself, looking around. "Now, what would Chiaso want..."

"How about we come back later.." Volnutt said, stepping back.

"Agreed." The group moved on.

Eventually, Geo came across a similar sign. "There it is! Densan street!"

"And look, its Mini-me!" Caskett said, pointing to Roll on the front porch. As they got closer, Roll felt something wrong. "Um, guys, does Mini-Me look a little... _down_ to you guys?"

Roll Light was on the top steps, aimlessly sweeping away little bits of snow.

Running up to house, Caskett gave Roll a little wave and a small smile. "Hey.. its been a while. How are you doing?...Are you okay?"

"How can I be okay at a time like this?" Roll responded, teary-eyed."

A chill ran down Geo's spine. "Lan."

Ever since the hospital attack, Geo hadn't heard a word from Lan. No call, text, anything.

_He would have given me something! Its not like him to just stay quiet!_

Geo bolted past the two, running straight into the house.

"What's wrong?" Misora asked, startled at Geo running.

Caskett shook Roll Light. "Mini-Me, where's Lan? What happened to him?" She almost screamed in panic.

"The doctors say Lan fell into a coma." Roll sullenly answered. "He might never wake up."


	61. Doing Too Much

Geo busted into Lan's room."ROCK!"

Rock was lying facedown on his desk, covered in papers.

"ROCK!" Geo roughly shook him awake. "ROCK WHAT HAPPENED? LAN'S IN A COMA? WAKE UP!"

Rock gave Geo a hard shove, pushing Geo to the ground. "OW! Owowow! Hey! I have a headache man, slow down..." Rock grumbled, stirring.

"Rock, what happened to Lan, why is he in a coma?" Geo said, trying to be as calm as possible.

"Welp." Rock sat up in his chair. "That's what happens when you put Chloroform on an already unconscious patient. He already wasn't well. I'm just glad you guys aren't in comas right now."

Rock gathered up all his papers. "So, in the meantime, I've been trying to find out where Wily's hideout is. China, Japan, Mexico, I'm thinking South American rain forests, maybe Australia in the Outback somewhere. But I've got nothing. That reminds me, you." Rock looked past Geo to Volnutt, who was standing in the doorway. "We need to talk."

Volnutt stepped forward. "Geo, you mind stepping outside for a second?"

"Wait, what's going on here?" Geo said, looking back and forth between Rock and Volnutt.

"Geo, leave." Rock said, not taking his eye off Volnutt.

Hesitating for a second, Geo decided to walk out of the room. Volnutt closed the door and locked it behind him.

"You always give your friends such a warm reception?" He asked.

"I'm exactly not in the mood for to say hi." Rock responded.

"All things considered, fair enough." Volnutt leaned against the door. "So, what do you want to know?"

"First of all, who made you?"

"Barrell Caskett. I'm Roll's new adopted brother."

"Barrell huh?" Rock crossed his arms. "I didn't know he could make robots."

"He needs engineering for his exploring. So he knows a thing or two. By the way, where are Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari anyway?"

Rock gave a long sigh. "They have been _swamped_ in insurance meetings, interrogations, government meetings... just last night they were talking about an offer this "Sigma" guy made to them. I don't even know where they are right now."

"Yeah, that can only be loads of fun." Volnutt replied. "Listen, you look _rough. _How about we go to the parade."

Music and loud noises could be heard from outside.

"And right on cue, there it is." Volnutt said, walking to the window. "And would you look at that. A Mega Man parade float." He turned back to Rock, your a hero. You need to relax and take it easy. You've earned a break. Don't run yourself into the ground."

"Hero?" Rock repeated. "What kind of a hero can't even protect his own brother? Its _my_ fault Lan's in a coma."

"Rock, you were in a 4-on-1 situation, I don't blame you for getting beat, no one does."

"I'm not talking about that!" Rock spat out. "I'm talking about before all that happened. We were getting ready for the dance, and I looked at him. I LOOKED at him! It was my JOB to look for anything wrong. It was right in my face, and I missed it! I missed the fact that he wasn't wearing his watch. Now tell me, is that someone who deserves a float?"

"Rock we all made mistakes. But you made up for it when-"

"Because of _me_, my brother is on a hospital bed, what might be his _deathbed_, while I get to go around and do whatever the hell I want! Because of _me, _he almost got this throat slit! He risked his life for me when he stood up to Break Man, and _this_ is how I repay him? By getting him in a _coma?_ So tell me Volnutt, does that sound like someone who deserves a float? Does it?"

"Rock, you can't blame yourself what what the Master's did-"

"Its not about them, its about me! All of this, all of this is on me! I could have stopped my brother from going to the hospital! The Masters only showed up because he was there! All of its on me, the hospital attack, the city being destroyed, the school burning down, all of its on _me._" Rock started crying. "Its all on me..."

Volnutt tried to think of something to say. "R-Rock, I-"

"We're getting off track anyway." Rock wiped the tears off of his face. "How did you find a way to tell when the Robot Masters were coming?"

"Barrell has radar systems all over the planet. We were able to detect them on their way here."

"Okay so, where is their base?"

"We could only detect them while they were flying. We can't pinpoint where they came from."

"So the only thing we can do now is sit and wait." Rock sighed. "Three Robot Masters, and I don't know where Wily is hiding. I could end all of this _today_ if I knew where Wily was."

Volnutt gave a look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it. Me, you, Rush, and those Repliforce guys, we outnumber the Robot Masters now! We go in and take them all out!"

"Woah woah woah woah woah. Slow down there hoss." Volnutt waved it off. "There is still his army of those Mets. He's got a huge factory he's making them all in. Add that to all his other defenses, attacking that island is impossible."

"Island?" Rock jumped up, furious. "I thought you said you didn't know where he was!"

Volnutt mouthed a silent _Oh shit. "_L-L-Listen-"

"You're lying to me!" Rock growled, approaching. "Where is Wily's base?!"

"Well, its more like Wily Castle." Volnutt replied, cursing himself for not being careful. "And its got the Southern Pacific as its moat. Its got its ways of averting attention and detection."

"How do you know all of this? I'm just going to assume all that radar crap was a lie." Rock said.

Volnutt looked away for a second. "I can't tell you that."

Rock armorized. "Tell me! Tell me RIGHT NOW!" He yelled.

"I'm not gonna fight you Rock!" Volnutt stood fast. "If I thought it would be better for you to know, I would tell you."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!" Rock said, finishing his transformation into Mega Man. "I GOT MY BROTHER PUT IN A COMA! YOU AREN'T GONNA STOP ME FROM FIXING THIS! Looking away from Volnutt, Rock moved over to the door. "You know what? I'm just gonna ask Barrell, maybe _he_ thinks-"

SWHOOP!

Mega Man ducked down just in time to dodge a chair being thrown at his head. The chair crashed into the door.

"You aren't going anywhere _near _Barrell, got that?" Volnutt said tensely.

"You don't tell me what I can and can't do Volnutt." Mega Man clenched his fist.

"I think I can." Volnutt slowly started armourizing himself.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "Rock, what was that?" Mrs. Hikari banged on the door. "Are you alright?"

Mega Man looked back at the door for a second. "Sorry mom, it was nothing." He de-armourized and turned back into Rock Hikari. "Get out of my house. But just so you know, this isn't over."

"It better be." Volnutt said, walking past him.

The two gave each other a long, silent look, before Volnutt walked out the door.

Stepping outside, Volnutt was met by Tron, Caskett, Geo and Misora.

"Volnutt, what was that noise?" Caskett asked concerned. "We were talking to Maylu, oh my God is she is a mess, but then we heard a crash, and we came outside. What did Rock want with you?"

"Oh, Rock just wanted to say hi, and uh, about how I got you and Tron to stop fighting. You know what? How about we catch the rest of the parade?"

"Sure, I'll go with you!" Tron grabbed on to him.

"It passed by a few minutes ago, it sounded great! I'll come." Caskett said, adjusting her hat.

"You know what? I think I'll just go... off somewhere. I'll- I'll see you guys later." Geo started to wander off down the street.

"Wait, hold up Geo!" Misora went after after him.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Let's just go!" Tron yanked him away off to the parade.

Looking back at the Hikari house, Volnutt saw Rock watching him from the window. Volnutt clenched his teeth.

_Don't try anything Rock._

_You will regret it._


	62. I Need a Doctor To Bring Me Back To Life

Sonia watched Geo wander aimlessly down the road.

_Should-Should I say something?_ Sonia thought to herself. _But even then, what would I say? What could I possibly say to make him feel better?_

An idea sparked in her head. _I know!_ She quickly ran to catch up to Geo. "Geo wait! Why don't we go see Lan in the hospital? They say its good for someone close to a patient to see them."

Geo quickly turned to her, eyes lit up with excitement. "You're right! Let's go! Right now!" Grabbing Sonia's arm, Geo started sprinting to Beach Street.

_Well, at least he's not depressed anymore!_ Sonia thought, trying to keep up.

Getting to Seaside Hospital, Geo tore through the front door to the receptionist desk.

"I'm here to see Lan Hikari!" Geo almost shouted.

"Listen sweetie," The receptionist leaned over the counter to him. "we only allow close friends and families to see the comatose patients. School friends are not allowed."

"I am a close friend!" Geo insisted, hiding his anger over that reply from the receptionist. "You can even call his house! I can give you the number!"

The receptionist help up her hand, shooing Geo away. "Hold on. Hoooooooold on." The receptionist got her phone and started scrolling through the record book.

Geo balled his fists inside his pockets._ I'm not two years old! I got here all by myself for crying out loud!_ He thought frustrated.

"Hey Geo, want some candy?" Sonia offered, right before sticking 3 lollipops in her mouth at the same time.

_This isn't the time for_\- Geo took a deep breath. _She's just trying to be nice Geo. Calm down._ Geo nodded and accepted the candy.

The receptionist hung up her phone. "Alright, that was Mrs. Hikari. She said to let you see Lan. Go past the double doors, down the hall, take a left, fifth door to your right."

"Okay Misora, let's go." Geo headed for the double doors.

Sonia decided to walk behind Geo as they made their way into the ICU section. _I really have no business here._ Sonia realized. _This is between Geo and his friend. I'm just gonna let him have his privac-_

Sonia accidentally walked into Geo from behind. "UMPH! Geo, why did you stop all of a sudden? Geo? Geo?"

"Oh my God." Geo said, not hearing Sonia at all. "Lan."

The first thing Geo noticed, was the breathing mask. It went over Lan's mouth and nose. Geo saw Lan's chest slowly rise and fall as he got closer.

_Boop...Boop...Boop...Boop..._

Geo saw the Heart Rate Monitor on the side of the bed, the beat moving at a steady rhythm. It was the only indication of Lan still being alive. He was laid out on the hospital bed, not moving a muscle. His eyes were closed. Instead of that goofy, yet suave, grin on his face, was just a mouth being force-fed oxygen through a mask.

_Focus on the positive_ Geo. He thought as he gritted his teeth._ Focus on the POSITIVE! At least he's still alive. His breathing is fine. That's a start. Speaking of which..._

Geo looked down at Lan's arm. The PET was still there.

_They left it on. So his HBD attacks shouldn't be a problem._

As he looked at Lan's arm, Geo noticed something else. "He's so much more pale, its horrifying." Geo said, unknowingly out loud. "And he's lost weight."

He looked at the IV machine, the fluid going into Lan's arm. "Aren't IVs supposed to stop that?"

"IVs are only meant to keep people alive." Sonia interjected. "I'm not surprised he's lost some weight. He's gonna keep losing weight until he wakes up."

"And how long is that gonna take?" Geo turned to her, a mix of anger and fear.

"Two weeks to a month. So look on the bright side, he could be out by Christmas!" Sonia gave a him a smile as she tried to cheer Geo up. _If he gets a brain infection like meningitis_, _it would take even more time. _ _He could also fall into a vegetative state, in which case he would probably never wake up from._

"How do you know that?" Geo asked.

"When you spend months at one of the best hospitals in the country, you learn a few things." Sonia replied.

_That's right, when her mother was sick. _A horrible thought came to Geo. _This has to be terrible for her. To watch someone be hospitalized like this. _"I-I-I am so sorry," Geo stammered out. "that you have to be here."

"Geo, you don't have to apologize. I knew that Mom was really sick. Besides, that was then, and this is now. My Mom's gone, your friend has a chance. I just want to help you in whatever way I can."

Geo smiled. "Thanks, that means a lot to me."

Sonia smiled back. "No problem!"

_Maybe I should tell him about all the things that could happen to Lan._ Sonia thought, her smile starting to fade. _But look how happy he is now. I can't do that to him. I have to keep it at that. It makes Geo feel better. He won't worry. In fact, he'll be looking forward to Lan waking up. That's why I'm doing this. That's why..._

_why.._

_why they told me Mom would live._

Geo didn't notice Sonia walk away in tears. He also didn't hear her call herself a hypocrite.

He was too busy looking at Lan.

"Lan, if you can hear me," Geo started. "I want you to know, that I'm here. You gotta wake up man. Rock's a mess. Maylu's a mess, I'm a mess. We need you Lan. We really do. And I want to apologize that I got you in this hospital bed. I didn't see you without your PET on, and I know how important it was. You looked after me when dad left. You came by my house every day to see how I was doing. You didn't stop, even when I left public school. But after all of that... I failed to look after you."

Geo started to tear up. "But I'm trying to make up for it. I'm trying to make up for it and I need you to wake up. Please! You gotta wake up. Give me something here! Anything! Just show that you can here me! LAN! WAKE UP!"

Geo took a step back, waiting for some kind of reaction. _Open your eyes. Twitch your fingers. shake your leg. Something. Anything. Please. Come back. I miss you._

_Boop...Boop...Boop...Boop...__Boop...Boop...Boop...Boop...__Boop...Boop...Boop...Boop...__Boop...Boop...Boop...Boop..._

After waiting for what felt like forever, Geo finally accepted it. "Okay, you're not ready yet." He wiped his tears with his sleeve. "But someday, your gonna be out of here. And when you are, I'm gonna be waiting for you. But until then, I'm coming here every day to see you. It'll be like you never left."

After giving Lan one last look, Geo walked out of the ICU room, only hearing the _Boop...Boop... _of the Heart Beat Machine behind him.

"Son-Misora! Where are you?" Geo called out, not seeing her around anywhere.

Sonia came out of the bathroom. "Sorry for leaving like that, I just had to use the bathroom. Are you feeling better?" She asked.

Geo had to think about whether or not he actually felt better. "Hey, I know what's going on with him. And I want to help him wake up. Coming here is the best thing I'm going to do all day."

"So, where to next? Check out of the parade? Go home?" Sonia asked.

"Actually, since I'm visiting people, there is somewhere else I want to go." Geo said as they walked out of the hosital. "Its the place where my father worked at. Its called AMAKEN..."


	63. Take Flight

"Alright everybody, we're almost done for today!" AMAKEN Administrator Aaron Boreal clapped his hands together. "Let's just check in on the Zerker satellites. Saurian Team! Ninja Team! Reports!"

"Running through the systems..." One of Aaron's workers called out. "Accessing now! Saurian is primed"

"Ninja is primed!"

"Alright then. Put 'em on the screens and show me the money!"

Satellite footage of deep-space nebulae came on the big screens.

"Beautiful as always." Aaron whispered to himself. "How's everything looking in the Ring Nebula Saurian team?" He called out.

"Same as always. Its no longer doing nuclear fission, and its transitioning over to a white dwarf."

"No news is good news. I'll take it." Aaron turned to his other team. "What about you Ninja Team? Find anything?"

"Monitoring the black hole in the Orion Nebula. I think it sucked up a few shooting stars, but it doesn't seem to be bothering us yet."

"That won't bother me in my sleep." Aaron snapped his fingers. "Alright then, get a few pictures, send them to National Geographic, and we can keep the lights on for a little while longer. That's a wrap everybody, pack up and go. See you in the morning."

While everyone else was clocking out, Aaron went to the break room to get some coffee for the long ride home when his walkie talkie came on.

"Mr. Boreal? Its Mike the security guard. I got two kids out here. One of them wants to see you. Name's Geo Stelar. You know this kid?"

Aaron spat out his coffee. "Yeah. Yeah. Bring them around back. I'll be right there."

Then he started dashing through the building. _Holy shit, that's Kelvin's kid! Its been a while since he last visited. I wonder what he wants._

As he bounded outside, a knot formed in Aaron's stomach. _Damn I hope that kid's alright, its been ages. Maybe I should have kept tabs on him. I didn't want to be around to keep the memory of Kelvin in his mind, but Kelvin did ask me to take care of Hope and Geo. I hope I made the right choice..._

Getting outside, Aaron saw Geo standing with Mike and someone else. "Hey Geo! Over here!"

As soon as Geo looked at him, Aaron read his face. His heart stopped as Geo's face went from recognition to... shock, maybe even disgust. _Oh no._ Aaron thought panicking. _Is he mad at me that I left him when Kelvin disappeared? Or is it because we stopped looking for Kelvin and the crew? Or is it because-_

"Excuse me, Mr. Boreal, you have a little something on your shirt..." Mike pointed out.

Aaron looked down at himself. A huge dark coffee stain soiled his shirt and jacket, with a few drops falling off for extra embarrassment.

Aaron had to mask his relief. "Ahhh, snap! Guess I'll clean that up later. Geo, why don't you come with me so I can take care of this?" Aaron waved the guard off. "That's enough for the day Mike. I'll take it from here."

Aaron, Geo, and Misora walked back into the building. "So Geo, I know its been a while since we last heard from each other, how'ya been?" Aaron asked.

Geo thought it was a little weird that Aaron was walking in front of Geo and not looking at him while the two chatted. "I've been alright, how are things with you? I see your the Head Director now."

"Uh, yeah! The powers that be decided to give me the keys, so now I'm the face that runs the place!" Aaron merrily responded.

Getting to the break room again, Aaron got some napkins and tried to wipe himself off. _For the love of God, please don't say anything that's gonna make this kid think about his dad._ He thought to himself. _Oh wait, The Wave Road!_

"Hey kids, wanna see something cool?" Aaron turned and cracked them a smile.

"Sure, why not?" Geo agreed.

"Great! Follow me." Aaron led them throughout AMAKEN.

"So, just to give you a hint as to where we're going, what do you know about EM waves?"

"You mean Electromagentic Waves? Aren't they like, visible light and micro waves and radio waves and stuff like that?" Geo answered.

"Yeah, spot on!" Aaron tipped his hat. "There are EM waves constantly flowing around us. I mean, think of all of the light around us. And that's just a fraction of the EM waves. Imagine if there was a way to harness all of that energy-"

Aaron walked into something as he rounded the hall corner.

"OOF! Hey, watch where your going!"

"S-Sorry Aaron!" A panicked voiced apologized. Oh no, all my plans!"

Geo looked at all the papers flowing in the air. "What is all of this stuff?" As he was about to pick one up, a hand snatched it away, slashing Geo's knuckle with unkempt fingernails. Geo immediately yanked his hand back, looking at the scratch on his finger. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Don't look at my papers! These are my ideas, and my ideas alone!" Quickly scooping up all the papers, the man stuffed them into a briefcase and ran off.

"Sorry about that." Aaron said getting up. "That was Tom. When he was in college, a co-worker of his stole some of his inventions, and made a killing with them in the market. Tom didn't see a single penny. Now he's completely paranoid about trusting anyone."

He got up and dusted himself off. "Now, where was I? Oh right, the EM waves. So, a little while back, a few people in Japan were able to capture and release EM waves inside of metamaterial. Curious, we began doing our own research. And about 6 months ago, we had a breakthrough. We were able to harness the energy for an amazing use: flight!"

Aaron reached the end of the hallway, coming to a door. "Welcome to the Wave Road, where we keep electromagnetically-power jet packs!"

Geo's eyes widened. "Jet packs?! Are you serious?"

"Yep! And I'm gonna let the two of you be pilots! Just dont tell my staff, they might get jealous." Aaron gave him a wink. "Now all we gotta do is get inside. Let me just get my key card..."

He felt around his jacket, then his pockets. "Where is my key card? Probably left it around somewhere." He reached into his pocket, pulling out an actual key. "See the little perks you get when your a guy in charge? Now Let's get in here!"

Opening the door, Aaron led Geo and Misora into the Wave Road.

It was a wide room, with a row of different computers and machines outlining a giant dome.

"That dome is where we do all of our flight testing. The entire thing is covered in thick padding for safety. So I'll watch you from these monitors on the outside. By the way," Aaron looked at Misora. "since you don't have a waiver, and I don't know you personally, I'm afraid I can't let you use the jet packs."

_And I was so excited!_ She thought to herself. "Okay, I guess that's fair."

"Now Geo, its time for you to pick your Transer." Aaron walked over to a desk.

"My Transer?" Geo repeated.

"Yeah. These things are the metamaterial that store all the EM energy, and we use them to transfer that energy to the jet packs. Hence the name. And we managed to get them in different colors, so pick: red, yellow, blue, green, purple, pink, black, or white?"

Geo hesitated for a second. "I'll take blue, thanks."

"Alright then. Before you get in, I need you to do one last thing." Aaron pointed across the room to a door which had a 'Dressing Room' sign on it. "There is a safety suit in there that I need you to put on. I'll be ready with your jetpack once you're finished."

"Okay then, I'll be right back." Geo went to quickly get changed.

The first thing he had to change into is a full body spandex suit. Then he had to put on an armor vest. Then additional protection with arm, shoulder, and knee pads. And finally, a blue helmet.

Misora blushed a little as Geo came from out of the dressing room. _He looks like one of those cute motocross racers..._

"Alright. Now for your jetpack!" Aaron waved Geo over. "Step into the dome with me. Let's get you flying!"

Taking the Transer, Aaron opened the door to the dome.

"And here it is!" Aaron took the jet pack off of a rack. It had two rockets on the back, and two handles in the front for grip. _Just like in the movies._ Geo thought.

"Put on this harness." Aaron said, strapping him in. "And here, take these wires for a second."

"What are the wires for?" Geo asked.

"They connect the Transer to the jetpack. By the way, are you southpaw by any chance?"

"No, I'm right-handed." Geo answered.

"In that case, the Transer goes on your left arm. Just put that on, connect the wires, you should be good to go! I'll be right outside if you need anything, so just holler. Good luck, and have fun!" Aaron gave him a thumbs up before walking out of the dome.

Strapping on the Transer and connecting the wires, Geo waited a second to let it boot up.

SYSTEMS ACTIVATED

STAND-BY MODE ON

Geo read a few modes on the Transer's touch pad. _ Hover Mode and Free Range Mode. Let's just try Hover Mode for now._

Smoke starting to come out from the bottom of the jet pack. Geo felt himself rise into the air. "Whoa, its actually working!"

"I see you've taken off! How do you feel?" Aaron said from a few loudspeakers in the dome.

"I feel fine." Geo responded, looking at the ground. "I'm only a few feet from the floor though."

"Well, Hover Mode is just to test to see if everything is running smoothly, as well a get people adjusted to being in the air."

"So, um, how do I move?" Geo asked.

"There are buttons on the top of those handles your grabbing. The one on the right goes forwards, the one on the left goes backwards.

Geo pressed the button on his right. He start he started moving forward, gliding in the air. "I'm doing it! I'm actually doing it!"

"Good! Now try to bring it back." Aaron instructed.

Geo pressed his thumb down on the left button. He felt himself go backward, like he was being pulled.

"How do I go left and right?" He asked.

"To go side to side, go forward and lean your body in the direction you want to go."

"Like this?" Geo went forward, and then tilted to the side keeping his body straight. He turned himself upside down, and crashed into the ground, landing on the top of his head.

Misora gasped. "Geo, are you okay?"

"Aaron, a little help?" Geo called out, apparently unhurt but still straight upside down.

"Give it a second..." Aaron responded, trying not to freak over the fact that he just saw his best friend's son drive himself into the ground head first.

A loud beeping went off on the jet pack. Geo found himself being pulled back to right-side up. "What happened? How did it do that?"

"On Hover Mode, there is a magnetization to the Earth's magnetic field. That will make you stable when you are upside down for too long. So just relax, you're okay." Aaron answered.

Misora gave a heavy side of relief. "I'm just glad he was wearing a helmet. That look like it really hurt."

"You and me both kid." Aaron whispered to himself, recalling the time Tom piledrove himself into the ground and was out for 3 months. Just thinking about it made him wince. _That Pro-Neck-Tor that I got really is paying dividends._

Geo took the time to catch his breath. "Okay, let's try that again."

"This time, keep your bpdy straight." Aaron instructed. "Shift your shoulders to the side. Don't lean too much too, be slow and gentle. Remember, you're in the air. There is no ground to help your balance and center of gravity. All of your movement need to have a light and relaxed flow to it."

Geo leaned in more carefully this time. This time he started turning over to the right. Then back over to the left. _Keep my body straight. Don't hunch over._

"Hey, I think you've got the hang of it now!" Aaron said. "If you twist your hips, you can go in a little circle."

"Really?" Geo tried it out, and started spinning around. "This feels great!" He said, looping around the dome.

"Don't get dizzy!" Aaron warned. "Especially in mid-air. By the way, there's a little red dial on the Transer that makes you go faster of slower. There are also two buttons that raises your elevation, or lowers it. You can play with the elevation, but do NOT touch the dial."

Geo decided to go higher. Rising in the air, Geo looked up as the dome's ceiling got closer, and closer, and closer...

"Woah Geo, be care. That is million-dollar equipment you're using."

"Alright. I'll come back down." Geo started descending. "Hey Aaron, what does Free Range Mode do?"

Aaron hesitated for a second, a little surprised Geo would ask that. "Well first off, in Free Range Mode, the stability magnet you used earlier turns off. And instead of going up and down and left or right, you can now move diagonally. Instead of just hovering, you're really flying, like Superman. You also go into perpetual motion, you can't stop moving. This is where the speed dial really matters, as well as being able to move your body in mid-air."

"Do you mind if I try it? It sounds awesome!" Geo said excitedly.

Aaron thought about it. He was letting an inexperienced minor pilot several million dollars worth of technology, as well as years worth of research. And seeing as to how a helmet is the only reason he is literally still alive, and not dead with a snapped neck, maybe its time to stop tempting fate. "You know what? I don't you're not ready for that yet. That's enough for today. I'll let you try it some other time."

"Alright, I'll turn it off." Geo dejectedly said, reaching for his Transer.

"Not from that high, NOT FROM THAT HIGH!" Aaron yelled. "Come back down to the ground first!"

"Right! I'm sorry." Geo descended until he reached close to the ground, then he set it back to Stand-By Mode, where he then dropped back to the ground.

Aaron applauded as he came back into the dome. "Atta boy! You did great for your first time!"

"You really think so?" Geo asked.

"I know so!" Aaron replied, getting Geo out of the jetpack. "You're a natural at this!"

"Do you think I could come back and do more?" Geo was excited at the prospect of flying again, as well as Free Range Mode.

"We'll see. You really weren't supposed to be here right now. I can't promise anything right now. But I will tell you this: you're a special kid. Now come on, go get changed so I can take you home."

"Alright Aaron. Thanks for letting me do this, it was amazing!"

Aaron chuckled. "No problem kid." As he put the jetpack back, be watched Geo walk out of the dome. _Just like his father. I remember when Kelvin wanted to spend hours in the Zero Gravity room. When all of us hated how the G-force machine made us all sick to our stomachs, Kelvin would go back to it for more. How called it 'Cheap Disneyland' is beyond me. And now his kid is riding jetpacks. Geo's a lot braver than he thinks, and a lot stronger too. I just wish you could be here to see him Kel. I know he would make you proud._

* * *

_"_So, where are you two scamps coming home from today?" Hope Stelar said, cutting off her TV.

"It was great. Aaron let me test out this jet pack! I got to fly around and everything!" Geo happily answered.

"Well next time, fly home a little sooner. Its too late for two school children to be out. Imagine if you needed to walk home. Please tell me you thanked Aaron for taking you home. He didn't need to do that you know."

"Yeah, we know, we thanked him." Geo replied.

"Well, now that that you two are home, I'm going to bed. There are tacos in the microwave. Goodnight."

"Tacos!" Sonia immediately ran to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go shower Sonia, save some for me when I get out." Geo said, going upstairs.

When Geo got out of the bathroom, now in his pajamas, he quietly tip-toed downstairs so to not wake up his mom. Opening up the microwave, he found half a tray of tacos waiting for him.

_Thanks Sonia._ He thought to himself, turning on the microwave. _Today really was a good day._

After sitting around and eating, Geo realized that he hadn't heard Sonia playing her music like normally. _Maybe she's watching TV or something._ He wondered. Neither Hope nor Geo had problems with Sonia playing her guitar at night. In fact, both of them actually liked it. Hope said that the sounds of Sonia's guitar reminded her of a harp.

_Yeah, she probably watching TV or playing video games, and just keeping it down to not annoy mom._ Geo looked at the clock on the stove. _Almost midnight. I should probably go tell her to go shower and then go to bed._

Walking up the the guest room, Geo found a note taped on the door.

"_Going back to AMAKEN to try the jetpack myself. Have Aaron's keycard so I should be able to get in. Come on your bike when you get out of the shower. I'll be waiting! - Sonia."_

Geo stepped back in alarm. _WHAT?_ He immediately ran to his room. Grabbing his cell phone, he scrolled down to messages and was going to text Sonia... when he realized she didn't have a phone.

_So Sonia is going to AMAKEN, which is about 10 miles away, on a bike, with no cell phone to call anyone if anything happens, in the middle of the night._

He sat down to think. _She can't be already there can she? Can I catch up? Maybe she just left._

He looked over to Hope's room. _Should I wake mom up? I really hate to disturb her but..._

Someone else came to mind. _ I know who is up right now..._

"Geo? What do you want? I'm watching Big O on my phone right now!" Roll Caskett harshly answered.

"Roll, do you have the Flutter right now? I need a huge favor." Geo quickly answered.

"The Flutter, why do you need the Flutter?" Roll asked back.

"You know that girl Misora that we hanged out with earlier? She's gone out, and I need to find here. I know where she is, but I need to get there fast."

"Hold up. We don't need the Flutter for that. I have something easier. I'll be right back."

For the next few moments, all Geo heard were muffled sounds in the background, specifically the word 'truce.' Eventually Roll came back on the phone.

"Okay Geo, I've got someone on their way. Just to be safe, can you keep a secret?"

"Roll, I know Rock Hikari is Mega Man. What could possibly be bigger than that?"

"Fair enough. But well, I wouldn't exactly say that this secret is bigger than that. But it is equal to it, so I just wanted to make sure."

"Roll, what could possibly be equal to the knowledge that Rock Hikari is Mega Man?" Geo said.

TAP! TAP! TAP! A noise came from Geo's window.

Geo opened it and looked around. "Hold on, there's something outside on my..."

Trigger, in full armor, gave him a wave. "'Sup. Volnutt Caskett reporting for duty."

Geo took a second, then looked at his phone. "Now I see what you mean. Thanks."

"Nice pajamas." Trigger said, picking Geo up. "So, where are we going?"

"AMAKEN, the space place." Geo responded.

"That's not too far. This should be fast." Trigger raced over the Echo Ridge skyline.

"You know, I never got to say thank you for saving my life." Geo said.

"Don't mention it." Trigger replied. "So, why is that chick Misora going to a space joint this late at night anyhow?"

"There is this EM wave-powered jetpack there. I guess she was upset that I got to try it out and she didn't."

"How fast does the jetpack go?"

"It didn't go all that fast for me, but there was a red dial that changed the speed. I know EM waves go at the speed of light, so there's that."

Trigger recalled his fight with Ice Man. The little Robot Master was practically untouchable, picking Trigger apart and turning him into an ice pin cushion. The best he could do was spray 'n pray with his buster. _I could use a little speed, so maybe this could help me._

"We're here!" Geo looked down. "Look, I see her bike!"

Trigger swooped down to the ground. A pink bike was parked next to a tree. "So she's already here." Trigger observed. "You think she's already inside? The guard might have caught her."

Geo put his hands on his head in fear. "Oh, that is bad. That is bad. That is bad. Not only can she go to jail, but Misora isn't just some girl that broke into a space site. She's the pop star Sonia Sky!"

"Sonia Sky? Roll loves her. She has all of her songs. C'mon let's go. We might be able to get her out of this."

"C'mon, this way." Geo led the way into the building to the Wave Road.

_I can't believe she stole Aaron's keycard._ Geo thought, furious. _How did she even-_

As they ran past the break room, Geo figured it out. " It happened here. When Aaron and Tom crashed and all of Tom's stuff fell. She must have gotten his keycard then. I can't believe she would steal from Aaron."

When Geo and Trigger got into the Wave Road, they found Sonia picking out her Transer. "Oh hey Geo, you caught up!" She said. "You wanted blue right? I got pink so it works-" She looked at Trigger. "Um, Geo, who is that?"

"You are coming home, right now!" Geo grabbed her arm. "Do you know how much trouble we could be in?! Where's the night guard?!" He looked around, expecting to get caught at any minute.

"The night guard is asleep. He won't stay that way if you keep shouting! Come on Geo! Don't you want to try out Free Range Mode? You know what Aaron said, we might never get another chance! So let's do it now!"

"I don't want to do it if it means going to juvie. Let's get out of here!" Geo said.

"Geo's right. I ain't worth it." Trigger agreed. "The sooner I get you out of here, the better. I'll come back and take care of all of the camera footage. Let's go."

Sonia sullenly nodded and put the Transers back, and walked with Geo and Volnutt out of the Wave Road.

"Can I get Aaron's keycard now?" Geo asked.

"Here you go. Sorry for doing this." Sonia gave Geo the keycard.

"Now, should I go to his desk and put or back or what? I think we have to go pas to the gaurd to do that."

"Give it to me. I know what to do with it." Trigger said. Taking the keycard, he threw it under a table "That Aaron guy will think its been there the whole time. All of this is pretty much no harm no foul. We never speak of this again. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Geo and Sonia said simultaneously.

Once they were outside, Trigger grabbed Geo and Sonia by the hands and carried them into the air.

"Sorry for being dumb and worrying you Geo." Sonia said with guilt.

Geo tried to be mad, but he could see how bad Sonia felt about it. "Just don't do it again okay?"

"So, since your Sonia Sky, do you mind telling that to Roll sometime?" Trigger asked.

"You told him?!" Sonia said, guilt going to anger.

"Yeah. But don't worry, he won't say anything. He's kinda got a secret of his own."

"Oh, I guess your right." Being so upset at herself for making Geo angry, Sonia hadn't complexly registered her situation. "Wait, aren't you the guy who fought those Robot .Masters?!" She said in shock/

"He's also Volnutt Caskett. So there's that." Geo responded.

"What?! The guy we met earlier?! That's YOU?" Sonia couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, please don't wiggle." Trigger said, rising a little higher just in case he lost his grip of Sonia. "By the way, you know that guy's house we went to? That's Mega Man."

Sonia's jaw dropped. "You know Mega Man? Is that your friend in the coma?"

"No Lan is the one in the coma. His brother Rock is Mega Man." Volnutt replied. "Anyways, you don't have to tell Roll tomorrow. But if you just, you know, play for her on a bad day, I would appreciate it. Oh, and Tron too. Tron likes you too. So if you could just do that sometime, I would appreciate it."

"Sure, I would love to. It's the least I can do to say thanks."

"Its our house!" Geo said. "Just drop us in through the window."

Volnutt flew down to the window and watched as Geo and Sonia got it. Giving them a wave goodbye, Volnutt flew off into the distance. _Time to go back to AMAKEN..._

Geo watched him take off. "Well, that's enough for one night. I'm going to bed."

"You know Geo, you have a very weird life." Sonia pointed out.

Geo took a deep sigh and nodded. "Yes. Yes I do."


	64. Playing Tricks On Me

Geo woke up after a worried sleep. All night long, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened.

Getting out of bed, Geo quietly went over to the guest room. _Did she go out again?_

He slowly opened the door with the anticipation of Sonia being gone and an empty bed waiting for him.

However, Sonia was still there in slumber.

He closed the door, breathing a sigh of relief. _It's okay. It's okay. Everything's okay._

Deciding to go downstairs, Geo went the kitchen for cereal. _You know what, I'm sure Volnutt took care of it. What am I worried about? He thought to himself. He said he was going to do it, and he did it. In 30 minutes, he turned trespassing into something that never happened._

Geo sat down on the couch with his breakfast. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. _I'm sure nothing is wrong..._

BREAKING NEWS: SPACE SITE AMAKEN DESTROYED OVERNIGHT. ROBOT MASTERS APPEAR TO BE CULPRITS

Hope and Sonia awoke to the sound of Geo's screams.

* * *

Barrell Caskett took the Transer out of his scanning machine. "Well Volnutt, I took a look at this Transer you brought me, and it's got potential... just not with you."

"What do you mean?"

"EM waves aren't compatible with your current system. However, I had the machine go through constructing possible suits, and after a few hours, I got a draft. It maximizes its abilities with a thin, lean, lightweight frame. In other words, the exact opposite of you are."

Barrell gave Volnutt a that's-just-the-way-it-is shrug. "I can still make a 3D model. It wouldn't take long."

Volnutt sighed. "Are you sure the Transers won't work on me?"

"I would have to redesign your armor entirely. But, we can use them. I can turn one of them into a weapon. As for the other one, I might give it Rock. "

Hearing Rock's name triggered Volnutt. "Let's see how the model goes. Maybe it will use both of the Transers."

Glide came in. "Mr. Caskett, Mr. Stelar is at the door, and he is adamant about talking to Mr. Volnutt. I'm guessing it's about the events of last night."

"Let him in. Let's get this over with." Barrell responded.

Geo came in with a nervous breakdown. "Volnutt what happened last night? The Robot Masters attacked?"

"No, that was me."

Geo paused for a second. "Wait, what? T-t-t-that was You? But why?"

"With all the talk about Transers, we decided to see what all the talk was about."

Geo took a step back, stunned. "Are you serious right now? Hold up. I'll be right back." Geo left and came in back with Sonia. "Hello pot, this is the kettle."

"Hey, we were trying to use Transers for the war effort." Volnutt said. "Besides, I went back and returned your bike to your house this morning. I didn't have to to do that you know."

"You destroyed AMAKEN!" Geo yelled. "Why, why did you do that?"

"We didn't want anyone to know what we took two Transers!"

"So you leveled the entire place?"

"Yes!"

Geo couldn't believe what he was hearing. _What does the word 'overkill' even mean?_

"As long as no one got hurt, I think it's okay," Sonia interjected.

"Don't worry, the guard got our okay," Volnutt said.

"Am I the only one here that's not a lunatic?" Geo said exasperatedly. "Are none of you thinking about property damage?"

"Geo, you took pop star home with you and put her in your house. If you think you are in any way sane, I'm afraid I've got some bad news." Volnutt said. "And as for property damage, it's just money, all of it can be rebuilt. Trust me, this will have nothing but positive reactions."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Geo snapped. "Anyways, tell me what are you planning to do with the Transer."

* * *

The Hikari Home Answering Machine

YOU HAVE: ONE NEW MESSAGE

_"Good afternoon Dr. Hikari and Dr. Light, this is Sigma from Repliforce. In light of the AMAKEN attack, we have decided to not use your services, as we do not want to endanger you or your employees. Thank you, and have a good day."_

Sigma hung up the phone. "Damnit! We could have made use of those guys."

"Not from what Alia said," Ace said, playing paddle ball. "They use robots for commercial and scientific purposes, not the military. They build Robby the Robot, not Johnny 5. Alia doubts any of them even knows what Biometal is."

"Speaking of which, where is Alia?" Sigma said with irritation.

"She is on a flight from Seattle, give another hour or so."

"Until we finish this Robot Master fight, we are gonna be here full time. You have no idea how pissed the higher-ups are that we let a Robot Master attack happen, literally miles away. I have no fucking idea how they did it, where did they even come from? Why the fuck would they attack a space place anyway?"

"There's got to be a reason right?" Ace said, going faster with his paddle ball. "So what's the pattern? Unprovoked attacks on places of high technology around the Dentech City, Echo Ridge area. First Seaside Hospital, then Light Labs, now AMAKEN."

"But what's the fucking point?" Sigman slammed his fist on the table.

"Isn't it obvious? Ace said, still playing with his paddle ball. "Intimidation. They have lost 3 Masters. They need some form of a win. This is their Doolittle Raid. It just means that they plan on staying here, and aren't going anywhere else. I hate moving anyways, so I don't mind."

"But how did they move in undetected?" Sigma asked.

"New Software?" Ace guessed."They probably cut down most of their systems and went to AMAKEN on foot. They might even have a Stealth Mode."

"So they can strike whenever and we won't see it coming," Sigma muttered. "Just great."

"We've been playing defense the whole time, its nothing new really. They just got away with it for once."

"Yeah well, I wanna go on offense for once." Sigma replied

"To go on offense, we have to know where to go first. We've been trying for MONTHS to find Wily's hidey-hole. Nothing of it."

"So we just sit on our hands and do nothing? You gotta be fucking kidding me." Sigma sat back in his chair disgusted.

"That's the way it is Chief. Just gotta catch 'em next time."

* * *

Wily Castle

"So, none of you went out last night and destroyed that ARCADIA place?" asked his Robot Masters sternly.

"I know that Mega Man is Rock Hikari. If I went out last night, I definitely wouldn't be leaving to go on a random demolition derby." Elec Man charged his fingertips.

"Also, I think it's called AMAKEN, not ARCADIA." Ice Man corrected.

"I don't care what it is!" Wily yelled. "You are not supposed to be endangering the assault by leaving the Castle!"

"All of us were here last night burning low. Check the cameras if you wish." Fire Man said.

"Why do you go ask Break Man where he was? Where is he anyway?" Elec Man said annoyed.

"Right here." Break Man emerged from the shadows.

"My Chemical Romance, right on schedule!" Elec Man hissed. "So, where were you last night?"

"I was with looking at our foot soldiers. So to answer your question is no."

"What about that mechanical hairball? Did he decide to use a rocket as a scratching post?"

"Tango doesn't have the aggressive nature to destroy a space center. He also doesn't have the weaponry."

"If none of you did it, I suppose I can't be mad at you." Dr. Wily said. "You are all dismissed. It just makes me wonder all the more about who is responsible, and what they mean to this little game now." He walked off into the halls of Wily Castle as well.

Fire Man made sure that Wily was gone. "Now that that's over with, Elec Man, we need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Elec Man snapped.

"About the assault on DenTech City this weekend." Ice Man said. "We don't need you jeopardizing the mission and putting us on thin ice."

"What do you mean jeopardize the mission? All we are doing is going into DenTech City, and while the rest of you fight that Trigger guy, and those military guys, I'll kill Mega Man. How could I possibly mess that up?"

"You are not fighting Mega Man at all." Fire Man responded. "That's Break Man's job."

"WHAT?!" Elec Man yelled. "You are giving Mega Man to BREAK MAN?"

"That's right. It's my turn." Break Man said. "You had your chance if I'm correct, right? How exactly did that pan out? That's right, you ended up flat on your ass. You would have been destroyed too if the rest of the team hadn't shown up."

"I am the leader of the Robot Masters!" Elec Man protested. "This should be my fight! My revenge!"

"Leader of all three Robot Masters. There used to be six. Tell me, what happened under your leadership?"

Elec Man's eyes sparked. His whole body exploded with electricity. "ARE YOU SAYING ALL OF THIS IS MY FAULT?!" He roared.

"You started off fighting Mega Man with 6 Robot Masters. And now you have 3. I'll start off fighting Mega Man with 3 Robot Masters, and I'm gonna end it with 3. Guess that makes me twice as good are you are, huh?"

"WHY DON'T WE FIND OUT RIGHT NOW?!" Elec Man summoned sparks in his hands, but Ice Man and Fire Man held him back.

"You have failed at every opportunity Elec Man." Break Man said with a stoic tone. "Now I will be the one to clean up the mess you have made. You can fight the others, but Mega Man is mine, and mine alone. So shut your mouth, and know your role."

Break Man turned around and walked away, Elec Man's shouts and threats following him throughout Wily's Castle. "YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?" Elec Man's voiced shouted behind him. "I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL FRY YOU TO ASHES RIGHT NOW! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME! RIGHT ME RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"

Break Man ignored it all.

Returning to his chambers, Break Man came into his bedroom. Tango was waiting for him, sitting on the bed.

"So, what have you been up to?" Break Man said, stroking the cat's green fur.

Tango responded by purring.

"Everywhere huh? So, do you know what happened at the AMAKEN space center?"

Tango shook his head.

"You're lost too? Just great." Break Man dearmorized. "Well, nothing we can do now but wait until the big day. Nothing we can do but rest up until then. Goodnight Tango."

* * *

_Where am I? Break Man looked around. Everything was in darkness._

_"Its Light Labs again. Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh, Bo-"_

_Footsteps started to pound heavily on the ground far away._

_"OH SNAP!" Break Man started racing in the other direction._

_He could feel the footsteps getting closer. Rock was catching up to him._

_"No. No! NO!" Break Man was a fast as he absolutely could. But now matter how hard he ran, Rock was only coming in faster. Coming in closer... closer, closer._

_"YOU WON'T GET ME THIS TIME!" Break Man ran faster than he had ever run before. He leaped onto the ladder and tore through the rungs, every last fiber of his being running on pure fear._

_Getting up the ladder, Break Man got through the door and slammed it behind him. Just as he locked the door did he hear Rock's ferocious pounding on it. Rock was determined to get out, determined to kill Break Man. The pounding on the door was absolutely thunderous. Break Man didn't know if the door would hold. But eventually, the pounding died out._

_"Did-did I do it?" Break Man asked himself. "Did I get away? Did I win?"_

_He slowly walked away, never taking his eyes off of the door. "I did it. For the first time, I actually beat Rock and prove that I'm the be-"_

_The lights went out. An eerie silence matched the darkness._

_"What?"_

_Break Man desperately slid his hands up and down the walls, looking for the light switch._

_"I thought I won! This shouldn't be happening!" He yelled to no one. "What now? What no-"_

_Something tripped him up, and he fell to the ground. Something then sat on his back, weighing him down. He heard a monstrous roar above him._

_Break Man screamed as something flashed before his eyes-_

He blinked. The light was on. The humming and whirring of machines were all around him.

Light Labs. I'm still in Light Labs. For some reason, he was fighting the urge to think "the real Light Labs."

As he tried to get up. He realized that something was on top of him. As he was about to scream again, he heard a voice.

"Gotchu!" The figure spoke with a childish laugh.

Break Man recognized the figure out of the corner of his eye. With relief in his heart, he gave a long sigh.

Thank goodness. It's only Lan.


	65. Way Back When

"Silly Blues! Where were you?" Lan rolled off of Blues. Instead of waiting for an answer, Lan instantly traced the direction Blues was coming from. "Ooooooh! Where you in Grandpa and Dad's secret lab? How did you get in?"

In an instant, Lan bounded for the door. He had to look up at the doorknob.

Blues rolled over to get up, and he saw his reflection in the metal panel next to him.

He was Mega Man, the Super Robot. His blue armor glistened. His dark shades had a special sheen to them. He used to be proud to be Mega Man. But now, after finding out the truth...

He shook it off. He had to pay attention to Lan, and where he was about to go.

Lan swung the door open. There was no ladder that had to be climbed down, just a long hallway with fair lighting inside.

Suddenly, Blues got up, going after Lan.

Lan was standing at the door to the lab, where Rock and Roll were. There was a 7-character password lock. "Do you know the password?!"

It instantly came to Blues' mind._ Tadashi._ He had overheard Dad and Grandad arguing about changing it. Dad didn't want to think about his father every day, and Grandad said it was a good reminder for Dad.

Come on, open it! I wanna see what's inside!" Lan started tugging on Blue's arm.

"I wasn't in there. I was just in the hallway. I don't even know the password." Blues replied.

"But aren't you like a computer?" Lan protested. Can't you crack the code or something?"

"I could go through all possible combinations, but that would take a while. Besides, it only allows three chances, so if we don't know it, we can't get in."

"Awww. I wanna see what's inside..." Lan said with disappointment."

"Its probably for the better anyways." Blues said. "If we needed to know, they would tell us." He took Lan's shoulder. "Let's get out of here so we don't get in trouble." He herded him out of the hallway back into the secondary rooms.

Blues never took his eyes off of the door.

"Anyway, it's my turn now!" Lan said.

"Turn for what?" Blues snapped out of it.

"Hide and seek! It's my turn to hide, and you come find me!" Lan took Blues' hands and covered them over Blues' eyes. "Count to 30 and I'll run off and hide!"

"Okay, okay! I'll start counting now! 1, 2, 3..."

Blues heard the pitter-patter of and childish giggling as Lan ran off to find a hiding spot.

"7, 8, 9, 10..." Blues' enthusiasm gave way as his thoughts returned to the secret healing lab where Rock and Roll were. He fell silent.

_Why would they possibly keep Rock and Roll secret from me? They're much more advanced then I am. Why aren't I getting that kind of technology?_

Blues went back to the healing lab._ I gotta find out what's going on here, this is crazy!_

Blues went to the lock and started punching in the code. _T-A-D-A-S-H-_

Then he heard Lan scream.

Blues instantly ran back out and across Light Labs. "LAN!" He shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Lan gasped for air as he weakly crawled out from behind a machine. He was clutching his chest, fingers absolutely rigid. "IT HURTS! IT HUUUUUUUUUUURTS!" He started choking up, unable to get his words out.

Blues knelt by his side and grabbed his hand. "Lan! You're gonna be okay alright! Just hold my hand!"

Blues looked at Lan's wrist. He saw the big, clunky, gray PET on his arm. _COME ON! WORK ALREADY! He wanted to shout. CAN'T YOU SEE HE'S HAVING AN HBD ATTACK!?COME ON!_

The PET started to come alive. Rapid beeping erupted from the machine. Lan grimaced as the PET started sending pulses into his body. Eventually, his heart stabilized out.

"Feel better now?" Blues said softly as Lan collapsed on him.

Lan was panting and his legs were shaking uncontrollably. 'Better' wouldn't be the right word to use. "It hurts..." He moaned.

"Be strong Lan. You'll get by it. You always do." Blues said. "Let's go home okay? We can get something to eat."

"Okay." Lan said with barely a whisper. "I feel tired."

"Go to sleep." Mega Man picked Lan up. "Get some rest. And when you wake up, everything will be better. I promise."

* * *

Lan sat in his bed, eating the last bit of his bowl of mac 'n cheese.

"Do you want to play any video games?" Blues asked.

"Can we play Mario Kart?" Lan asked.

"Of course." Blues turned on the Nintendo 64.

"No, I mean the Wii version." Lan corrected him.

"What?" Blues almost dropped the N64. "What's wrong with this?"

"Nothing." Lan responded. "But the Wii is newer, so it's better."

"It-it is?" Blues' repeated.

"That's the whole point of it right? To be better than the last one."

"So then, what happens to the old gaming system?" Blues' asked.

"You put it away somewhere. Or you give it to someone less fortunate."

Blues was fighting the urge to not cry. "Is that how you feel about me?"

"Wait, what?" Lan was confused. "I don't get it. What are you talking about Blues?"

"If you were to get a new robot, and I was to just go away, would you care about me? Or would you just get rid of me like everyone else"

"Of course I would! Blues, you're my brother!" Lan got out of bed and gave his brother a hug. "I would never get rid of you. We can play on the 64 if you want."

As Blues turned on the game, Lan realized something. "Blues, why would you even ask that? Is something wrong?"

Blues hesitated for a second. Should I tell him the truth?

"No. I just had a bad dream last night. That's all."

The house door opened. "Lan? Blues? I'm home!" Mrs. Hakari walked in.

"Coming mom!" The boys ran downstairs.

Lan's eyes widened at the sight of Blue Bunny. "You brought home ice cream? That's awesome! Can we have some now?"

"You can have some after you go shower." Haruka was finishing unpacking the groceries. "Blues, can you go talk to your father and grandpa? They want to see you. They're at the Labs."

"Alright. See you guys later!" Blues waved goodbye as Lan raced up the stairs.

When Light Labs was in sight, Blues paused. A chill ran up his spine. _Something doesn't feel right._

Instead of walking the usual way, Blues decided to go around back into the nearby woods.

Go over to a nearby boulder, Blues felt around the rock for a special button. Pressing it, the rock retreated back, revealing a hatch underneath. Climbing down the ladder, Blues eventually reached the floor, leading to a door. As he was about to walk in, he heard voiced from the other side.

"Haruka said Blues was on his way. He should have been here by now." It was Dad.

"Now now, give the boy some more time." Grandpa Light calmed him.

"I still don't like this plan Thomas. Is there any other way?"

"We have no choice. He's too unstable." Thomas replied. "We have to shut Blues down. Tonight."

"And then what? What's Lan gonna say when he sees Blue's is gone?"

"We'll just tell him that Blues' is sick. We wouldn't be lying." Thomas said. "So, is the new PET finished?"

"I need a few more days. Are you sure we can't put Blues off until then?"

"I'm sure of it. Once we take care of Blues, we can thaw out Roll, and she will be much easier to handle."

Yuichiro checked his watch. "Where is he? I want to get this over with!"

In a flash, Blues went tearing back up the ladder. _This was a trap. The whole thing was a setup! He thought to himself. The ice cream, Lan going to shower, it was all a scam!_

Escaping from Light Labs, Blues ran back all the way home. Instead of going through the front door, Blues climbed up the side of the house and went in through the Attic window. _Is there anything I need here? It won't be long before they stay tracking me down_...

Lan opened the door to the attic. "Blues, you're back! Why'd you come through the window?"

"Lan, I have to go." Blues said.

"Go where?" Lan asked.

"I have to leave this house. I'm never coming back." Blues walked past Lan and went to their room. On the desk, he saw his yellow scarf. He quickly grabbed it and put it round his neck.

"Wait, Blues, are you serious?" Lan struggled to keep up with Blues as they ran back up to the attic. "Hold on! Talk to me! BLUES!

Lan was breaking down in tears. The blue robot had just opened a window, leading into the pitch black of night.

"BLUES! BLUES PLEASE!" Lan pleaded. "PLEASE DON'T GO!"

Lan could see tears running down Blues' black visor, he was crying too. "I'm sorry Lan, but-but,

I have too."

"But WHY? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO?!"

Blues lowered his head.

"Mom, and dad, and grandpa. They're,

they're gonna get rid of me."

Lan shook his head. "No, no they won't!"

"You didn't see what I saw. I saw-"

Blues paused and look outside.

He stepped down from the window.

Lan smiled. "I knew it! Your not gonna leave me!"

Blues turned to face Lan. "It's not that Lan. I can't have you telling on me. I need some time to get away."

Lan's smile turned to horror as Blues took a step towards him."No! I-I-I WON'T LET YOU!"

As Lan started running away, he tripped over a floorboard and crashed into the ground.

"Don't make this even harder Lan, PLEASE!" Blues said, walking over as Lan got to his feet. He put his head on Lan's forehead.

"You don't have to go." Lan said, in one last effort to keep his brother.

"Yes, I do. Remeber, Lan, don't trust your family." He lifted up his visor, showing his hazel eyes, rimmed with red.

"I'm sorry Lan. I love you."

ZZZZP!

As Lan fell over, Blues caught him, and gently laid him down on the floor.

"Goodbye, Lan." He kissed the top of Lan's forehead.

After one last long look at his brother, Blues went to the window, leaped out onto the ground, and ran off into the night.


	66. Primed

Break Man woke up in a cold sweat. _It was only a dream. It was only a dream It was only a-_

He fought the urge to say memory.

He started shaking his head. _No. There's no way that could have been real. I would have remembered that long before now. All of that, that was so impossible._

There was a knock on his door. "Break Man? It's Cut Man. Today's the big day. Time to get up."

"Alright, I'm up." Break Man called out.

Tango jumped up into the bed. He gave his master a good morning lick and a soft purr. "Good morning to you too Tango. The day's finally arrived. Time to go meet it."

* * *

Geo looked at the two pods in front of him. He turned to Barrell Caskett, then to Volnutt, then back to the machines. "You're kidding me, right? You want me to get in that?"

Geo and Misora had come to Caskett Mansion after Volnutt texted them this morning. He said he had a surprise waiting, but Geo could never have expected this.

"Yes. It's for testing." Barrell explained. "We made models of what the suit would be like. Now we have to make the actual suits. The machine requires actual subjects."

"Are you sure this is safe?"

Barrell dismissed it with a wave of his hands. "of course it's safe. Besides, you're not gonna fight. I just want to test the pods out."

"Alright then, let's do it!" Misora said excitedly.

Barrell pressed a button, and the pod doors opened. "Step on in when you're ready."

Geo could feel his heart race. No way was he getting in that thing.

"See you when we get out Geo!" Misora walked forward.

"Wait, no, don't do it!" He lunged forward and grabbed her arm. "Think about this! What if something goes wrong? They've never done this before! This could kill us!"

"Actually, we did put test dummies in there. They turned out fine." Barrell said.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Misora said. "Why aren't you excited? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wanna take it."

Geo didn't get it. "This is crazy. This was insane. This is something only we get to do."

Misora took his hand. "This is amazing. This is awesome." She led him over the pods. "Sometimes, you just gotta put all of your fear behind you and see where life takes you. And no matter what happens, at least were in it together right?"

Geo gave a long look at the open pod. "I guess..."

Suddenly, Glyde came in. "Mister Caskett, it's Rock Hikari. He wants to see you and Volnutt."

"Rock's here? Why?" Geo came walked into the foyer.

Volnutt jumped out of his seat. "What? Has he lost his mind?" He dashed past Glyde, activating his armor.

Mega Man was waiting for them, sitting on the couch and watching TV. "Took you long enough." He said as Trigger approached.

"I thought I told you to never come here!" Volnutt snapped, ready for a fight.

"I'm not here for Barrell, we've got bigger problems." Mega Man pointed at the TV screen. "Check the news."

Volnutt gasped as he read the headline. "ROBOT MASTER ATTACK IMMINENT! EMERGENCY EVACUATION IMMEDIATELY!"

"What happened to seeing them coming?" Mega Man asked with frustration.

"We've been so busy on other things, we didn't bother to check." Trigger admitted.

"Look at the news footage. It's some kind of aerial convoy." Barrell said. There were three humongous cargo containers flying in the air "What do you think are in those?"

"I don't know, but I know the Masters are with them." Mega Man looked at a familiar ship that was out in front. "We gotta move."

"Volnutt, come with us. Go Mega Man, I'm sure Repliforce will catch up with you soon enough."

Mega Man didn't wait another second. He immediately jumped into the air and flew out of Caskett Mansion.

"Volnutt, we and Glyde have been working on some of your equipment, and we've got something for you." They talked and walked as they went into their lab. "Its called the Splash Mine, and it-"

Barrell stopped short at the sight in front of him. "Oh boy..."

While the other had been talking, Misora had entered her pod.

Geo stood there stunned. "She actually did it." He turned to Barrell. "Is there any way to stop this?"

"Not when it's already started." Barrell replied.

Geo turned back to Misora. "I said we would do it together, so I guess I gotta go in too."

Taking a deep breath, Geo went into his open pod, sat down in it, and closed it behind him.

After a moment of silence, bright lights started illumining the pod as the machine started functioning. _What have I gotten myself into this time?_

A scanner started running up and down Geo's body. The somewhat relaxing white light and calm hum relaxed Geo a little bit.

A slot opened up behind him, and his head was sucked in. There was a loud noise, and then a flash of light...

* * *

Meanwhile, Barrell took Volnutt's free right hand and placed it into the aperture of another machine. Volnutt felt a tingle go into his body.

After removing his arm, Volnutt shook it around to examine the difference. "I don't feel anything new." Volnutt said. "Wait." He saw that there were four dots on the corner of the top of his hand. "What are these?"

"You can now create mines and place them on the ground for explosions. Barrell said. "However, I wouldn't advise punching with that hand now. It's also locked in place, so you can't change it back once you're finished. It's also got limited energy."

"It's new. I'll take it. Thank you Barrell. Well, I'm off." Volnutt ran out of the Caskett Mansion towards Dentech Square.

The city was deserted when he got there. Good. He thought to himself At least there is no one in the way to get hurt this time.

Looking down, he saw a party of 4 in the street.

"Oh look, he finally caught up!" Ace C. Eos pointed and waved. "Good to see ya pal! Ready for another round?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Trigger flew down to join Ace, Colonel, Rush, and Mega Man.

"So, anyone know what was in those containers?" Ace asked.

"I'm guessing Mets. Lot's and lot's and lot's of Mets. They lost the numbers advantage, so they compensate for Mets."

"Sound logic. Who's gonna take care of the little buggers then?" Tigger said.

"Me and dog are the fastest, we'll take care of them." Ace said.

As they were talking, 4 large shadows loomed over them.

"And here they are." Colonel said.

The 3 containers slowly dropped to the ground, while the ship remained in the air.

Colonel put a hand on his saber. "All hell could break lose in an instant." He whispered. "Be ready for anything."

Then, the bottom of the ship opened, and a red robot with a shield and an arm cannon came down, landing on the middle crate.

Ace's, Colonel's, Trigger's, and Mega Man's hearts stopped in unison.

"Holy shit." Colonel said.

"Who is THAT?" Ace exclaimed.

"Another one?" Volnutt asked.

"You gotta be kidding me." Mega Man said.

Rush growled, and turned to Mega Man and barked.

"What's that boy? That's the one who attacked you on Halloween?" Mega Man said.

_Then that means... he's the one who attacked Lan._

Shock and surprise turned into anger and rage as Rock thought about hearing Lan after he had been electrocuted. And to see him while he was hurt. Knowing it was all his fault for this. No. That robot is not getting away this time.

Mega Man ran forward, surprising all of his comrades. "Mega Man, wait!" Trigger called out to him.

Mega Man jumped up onto the container, walked right up to the robot, and store him down. "Heard you were looking for me." He said with every ounce of venom in his body.

"I was." The red robot replied, just as ready to tear his opponent apart. "I missed you last time. I won't miss again."

"If you wanted a fight, all you had to do was ask." Mega Man aimed his buster at Break Man. "Let's go."

"Not here, where everyone else will get in our way." Break Man said. "The meadow in Echo Ridge. I'll finish it where I started it." Break Man turned on his jets and started flying in the air.

Rush barked at Break Man as he flew away.

"Don't worry Rush, I'll give him one for you." Mega Man said as he flew off after Break Man. _And a dozen more for Lan._

Once they were off, Ace looked back to the threat that was still in front of him. "So, what about y'all?" He called out. "Did you just come here to watch, or did you come here to fight? I get paid either way, doesn't really matter to me."

The spaceship opened again, and the 3 remaining Robot Masters dropped down. They each went on to a different container.

"We've gotta little surprise for you this time!" Ice Man said. He pressed a button and the container door fell down, revealing a bunch of Mets.

"Not much of a surprise! We've seen them before. And we've scrapped them before" Ace tried to boldly say. There were a lot of Mets, and with Mega Man gone, that would be quite the task.

"Oh, but now we've got door number two!" Ice said. "Sweep em off their feet, Fire Man!"

Fire Man opened up his container, and a massive whirring sound erupted from within. Then a swarm of flying object came pouring out.

"The hell?!" Colonel said.

The machines looked like a spinning top. They were connected to a spinning blade which kept them in flight. They have square metal plates which formed an outer rim. From afar, it looked like a malicious smile.

"These are Bladers!" Fire Man called out. "Why don't you come over here so they can say hello." He said.

Okay, that was unexpected. Ace started sweating.

"But wait, there's more!" Ice Man said. "You know that guy you saw before? Lord Wily decided to make a bunch of him! Open it up, Elec Man!"

Elec Man sheepishly opened the door, and a green robot started to emerge. They each had shields and arm cannons, and a single red eye in the middle of their visor.

"These are sniper Joes! Our newest soldiers in our world conquest." Ice Man said. "So tell me, that new enough for ya?"

Ace looked at the massive army that stood before him. "Oh no." He said, starting to panic.

Trigger fired off a few shots. They hit a car, and the automobile blew up, going sky high.

"SCATTER!" He yelled, taking off with his jets.

The others didn't hesitate, quickly flying off.

* * *

"This is bad Barrell!" Trigger said, darting in and out of streets. He could hear Ice Man telling his minions to search and destroy from behind him.

"Hang on Trigger, we'll think of something." Barrell's mind was racing. How are they gonna fight the Robot Masters, and fight off those little monsters at the same time? This is not good...

DING!

The pod opened, and Misora slowly came out of her pod.

"Whoa...that weird." Misora was dizzy, almost falling over.

A tray came sliding out, revealing a pink Transer. "What's that there for?" Misora asked.

"All the data from that machine is now put into that Transer. You can now transform with the EM Wave Energy."

"Transform? What do you mean?"

"When you activate the Transer, you will take on a suit powered by EM Waves. The suits design comes from you own imagination. The main positive of it is that you would be fast."

"How fast?"

"Fast enough to..." Barrell's attention turned back to the screen. "Look, I have something very difficult to ask of you."

"You want me to go out there?" Misora said.

"Yes. Volnutt is overwhelmed. He and the others need help. I don't know if you can turn the tide but..." He bit his lip and shook his head. "No way. I cannot allow this. What am I saying? I'm sending a child out to fight monsters. No. You need to stay here."

"I can go out there! Please! If there is anything I can do, let me do it!"

DING!

Geo's pod opened up, and he came swirling out, almost ready to throw up. "Oh God. I don't feel well."

"Geo! Here!" Misora took Geo's Transer and put it on his arm. "We need to get out there! Now!"

"Out where! To fight? Are you crazy, we could get killed!" Geo said.

"We have to do something, Geo! Your friends are in danger and you're going to leave them behind!"

"I have a mom at home! If I die, what happens to her? What would you tell her?!" He yelled.

Misora paused for a second, and then pulled back. "You're right Geo. You do have a mother. And I do want you to go home to see her. I want you to see her day of her life. Because you never know when something can go wrong. get it." She took a few steps back.

"But you know what?" She put on her Transer. "I've got no one! No Mom, no Dad, no home, nothing. I guess that's why its so easy for to just, up and run away. I've got no one to hold me back. So I guess it doesn't really matter what happens to me. Other people are the only thing that I've got. So I guess that's why I'm so eager to do this. I've got nothing let to lose."

She activated her Transer._ "Misora Sky! Let's go!"_

A bright light shone in the room. A pink flow emitted from the Transer, covering Misora's full body.

Misora could feel the EM waves shower her. _This is the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced._

When the light died out, Misora marveled at her new transformation. She was wearing a pink skirt with a heart-shaped chest plate. thick pink knee pads. She had thick pads to cover up her legs, and pink and white sleeves. A helmet with a heart on top covered her head All of this was over a purple skintight bodysuit.

"Woah." She said at her reflection in the mirror.

"Misora, you look... incredible." Geo was almost breathless.

"Are you sure you want to do this Misora?" Barrell said.

"We are running low on options right?" Misora said. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Here, take this." Barrell pulled open a drawer.

"There is a way to physically harness the EM wave energy and put it outward as a projectile for damage. In other words, make a laser."

Barrell took out a hollow cylinder. "Put your hand it."

When Misora inserted her hand, it instantly glowed.

"You can now fire out EM wave lasers." Barrell said.

"Okay, let's do this." Misora said, turning to the door.

"Wait, Misora." Geo stopped her. "I'll come with you."

"No Geo, you don't have to do this. You have Hope at home. There's nothing for me. Who cares what happens to me?" She muttered.

"I-I-I care." Geo responded.

Misora turned around and blushed. "Do you really mean that Geo?"

"I'll prove it." Geo readied his Transer. _"Geo Stelar! On Air!"_

The room flashed as the other Transer came to life. A blue stream of energy poured from the Transer. Geo was left mystified as the suit materialized on his body. _It's like the suit is alive._

When the room looked back to normal, Geo gazed at his own transformation. He was wearing a dark blue suit laced with yellow. His leg pads, shoulder pads, and arm pads were a lighter shade of blue. His shooting star insignia was on his chest. He had a blue and white helmet with a pink visor.

"This feels incredible." He finally said.

Barrell handed him another arm cannon. "Put this on. We don't have a lot of time."

As Geo got his arm cannon ready, Barrell briefed them "Once you get out there, there is going to be a lot of objects flying at you. I don't know the durability of the suits, so for the love of God: Do. Not. Get. Hit. Understand? Don't engage if you don't have to. Just take the pressure off of Volnutt and the others."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Geo said, finishing up with his cannon. "Let's go Misora."

As the walked to the foyer, Geo was eerily quiet. With every step, Geo felt his stomach turn more and more into a knot. There was a very real chance that today would be his very last day.

Misora tried to lighten the mood. "I like you pink visor. I think it's a nice contrast from the rest of your suit."

"Thanks." Geo replied in nervously curt fashion.

"Also, I like how you said 'On Air.' I thought that was really cool. I'll have to try it out sometime. Assuming I survive this, of course."

"Do you really think we have a chance out there?" Geo asked.

"If things get dicey, we can always run." Misora said. "Thanks for doing this Geo."

Misora stopped for a second and then gave Geo a hug. "Listen, Geo, if something goes wrong out there, and one of us doesn't come back, I just wanna say... thank you, for making this past month and a half one of the best in my life."

Geo didn't know what to say. "Thanks Misora. I've enjoyed it too."

"And my the way, stop calling me Misora. I'm about to put my life on the line. I don't need to hear a fake name anymore, okay?"

"Yes Sonia." Geo replied with a smile.

"Speaking of names, we probably need code names before we go out there. What should we call ourselves?" Sonia said.

"I don't think we should focus on-"

"Let's see. There's a star on your chest. I'll call you 'Shooting Star.'" Sonia thought about it for a second. "Wait, that's too long. I'll just call you 'Star'. Oh! Call me 'Harp!' That's my second favorite instrument!" Sonia said.

_She's just trying to keep herself calm._ Geo thought to himself. _I better go along with it._

"Sure. Why not?" Geo said. Without even realizing it, the two were at the front door.

"So, I guess this is it." Geo said. "Ready to take off?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Sonia said. "So, how do I fly in this thing?"

"I actually don't know. I didn't try free range mode at AMAKEN, so I really don't know how-"

Suddenly, the jets came on from Geo's feet. "Woah woah woah woah woah woah!" He tried to balance himself in mid-air.

"Geo, I think I've got it!" He looked over a Sonia, who was doing perfectly fine. She was flying in the air, doing little spins. "You have to have a strong mental connection to your suit to do it! Just think you can do it!"

"Okay okay okay." Geo tried to will himself. "Stable, stable, stable..."

Geo found himself comfortably upright. He took a second to catch his breath. "Alright. I'm good now."

"We can do this Geo. But you have to believe that we can." Sonia said. "Were in this together right? I won't let anything happen to you. Now come on! Get up here!"

Geo slowly rose into the air. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Race you there." Sonia said, right before taking off.

Geo quickly raced after her.


	67. What I Am

Break Man touched down. The meadow that they had talked about had turned into a winter wasteland.

Mega Man stared Break Man right in his one eye as he landed, not taking his eyes off of Break Man as he slowly floated down to the ground. "You're different." He said, walking around a bit.

"What do you mean by that?" Break Man said through his mask.

"This is the first time you've ever come out with the other Robot Masters. And then you bring me over here to fight. I thought Elec Man was their leader."

"Elec Man and the other Robot Masters are my subordinates. I am Lord Wily's personal aide"

"Okay you're the Ace in the Hole." Mega Man looked at Break Man's thick knight-like armor. _He's slow. About as slow as Trigger. I just have to keep moving. And chip away._ "Which reminds me, who _are_ you?"

"I'm Break Man. I break things." He responded, clutching his fist.

"Subtle. But that leaves one question. After I beat you, what's next?"

"Lord Wily said something about his base, but you've pretty much won if you can take me down. Problem is, that's not going to happen."

"3 Robot Masters said the same thing. 3 Robot Masters are no longer operational. Tell me why you're any different."

"You have the power to copy Robot Master's moves right? Well guess what?" Break Man outstretched his arm. From his wrist, out popped 6 chips. "So can I. I have all of their abilities right here. Dr. Wily copied the chips. He thought it might come in handy for me someday. Guess he was right."

Mega Man's face turned to shock. _He has all of their powers? That might cancel out my speed advantage._

Break Man popped in 3 of the chips. "You don't have the Ice Slasher, the Fire Storm, or the Thunder Beam right?" He held them out in his palm.

"Yeah, that right." Mega Man tried to sound tough, but he was quite terrified at the prospect of fighting someone with all 6 chips to his 3.

"In that case, neither do I." Break Man crushed the chips in his hand, and threw the pieces off into the wind.

Mega Man stood there stunned. "Why would you-"

"I don't need their powers and help to beat you. So if you don't have it, I don't want it." Break Man said.

Mega Man was trying to process it. "That doesn't sound like someone that's just doing a job and following orders. This is personal for you, isn't it?"

"More than you could possibly imagine." Break Man said.

"Oh I think I can imagine it quite a bit." Mega Man said. _He must be talking about the other Masters. His brothers. _"But I didn't come here to talk. Let's just fight."

"Come on then." Break Man readied his shield.

_The shield's there to compensate for his lack of speed. _Mega Man thought. _I either got to get rid of it, or dance around it and chip away at him. This is not going to be easy._

Mega Man charged, going full speed ahead.

Break Man fired off a few shots from his Break Cannon. They were bigger than what Mega Man expected. This caused him to double back and dart to the side. He fired off a buster shot. Break Man raised his large ovular shield. The shield absorbed the impact of the explosion.

The two of them paused to analyze what just happened. Everything fell silent.

_Just as planned. I'm not going to make this easy for you._ Break man thought to himself.

_I gotta get him moving._ Mega Man said. _Time for round 2._

Mega Man charged again, firing off several rounds and dashing back and forth, left and right. Break Man blocked his buster shots with his shield again. He responded back by firing several shots of his own. A buster shot and break shot exploded in mid-air, startling Mega Man. He slipped and fell to the ground.

Break Man saw his chance, flooding out several shots at a prone Mega Man. Mega Man quickly stumbled back and dove out of the way.

"Is that your best?!" Break Man called out. "I expected more!"

_Okay, that's it._ Mega Man turned on his jets, and zooming in the air. He started raining down shots from above.

Break Man put his shield above him to block it and fired off several shots. He could feel more shots coming down on him.

_Gotcha_. Mega Man dove down onto Break Man, keeping the pressure on with his buster shots. Then, right as he was on top of Break Man, Mega Man swerved to the side, catching Break Man off guard and defenseless.

Everything went into slow motion as Break Man realized where his opponent was. He tried to aim his buster, but Mega Man was in better position, getting the shot off first. The buster shot caught Break Man right on the chest, knocking him back off balance. Mega Man jumped up on the top of Break Man's shield. He sprung right off of it and bicycle kicked Break Man in the chest, driving him back even further step by step. Mega Man finished off his combo by blasting Break Man in the head, knocking him off of his feet to the ground. Mega Man immediately grabbed the shield and threw it to the wayside. He then turned back to Break Man and aimed it point blank at him, charging his shot.

"This good enough for you?" Mega Man said, preparing to finish him off.

"Just getting warmed up." Break Man outstretched his hand.

Mega Man thought he heard a noise behind him. Figuring out what it was, Mega Man jumped up into the air, accidentally releasing his Charge Shot to the sky.

Break Man caught his shield. "Impressive, but it's going to take a lot more than that to beat me." He got back to his feet. "Let's see what you know about the Robot Masters' Special Weapons.

Break Man turned brown. "Super Arm!" He started firing out Guts Block. Mega Man blasted them all down and flew into the sky. _If it worked once..._

Break Man rotated his shield, turning it horizontally.

_Great! Now he can see me! _Mega Man thought. _Gotta think of something new!_

As Mega Man circled around Break Man, he realized that Break Man was barely moving, staying in place like a golem.

The gears started turning in his head. _Maybe I can..._

Mega Man flew off into the nearby woodlands.

"Super Arm." He quickly activating his ability. After shooting out a chunk of block and putting it into his hand, Mega Man turned back into Buster Mode, and came soaring back out, firing shot after shot.

_What's he trying to do? _Break Man said, instinctively turning his shield vertical again and firing back with Block shots of his own.

When Break Man wasn't looking, Mega Man threw his Block high into the air. It came back down right on the crown of Break Man's head, stunning him once again.

Mega Man rushed forward. Turning his body, he coiled up his legs, and then sprung as he came in contact with Break Man's shield, stomping down on his opponent and plastering Break Man into the ground.

_Jack be nimble, Jack be quick..._ Mega Man thought to himself, jumping off of Break Man.

Break Man, getting back to his feet, was in a fit of absolute rage. "I'LL BREAK YOU!" He went back into Break Mode and when barreling in towards Mega Man, firing off shots.

Despite the Break Cannon's large ballistics, Mega Man found the Break Cannon's shots easy to dodge as long as he kept moving and kept attacking the shield. Every time he fired off a Buster shot, Break Man would stop and hide behind his shield. The only part of him that wasn't hidden was his Break Cannon, which Mega assumed was so that he could keep firing shots and have some sense of consistent speed. _Why is he so desperate not to get hit?_ Mega Man asked. _He could at least TRY to dodge. He's so slow he probably couldn't, but he could at least try. It's not like he can't take my shots with that thick armor of his._

After dodging another shot, a thought came to his mind. _Maybe that armor isn't as strong as I thought._

He planted his feet. _Time to find out._

Mega Man went back on the attack again, firing out buster shots.

Break Man saw it coming this time, and feigned defense by leaning his body and shield over one way to give Mega Man a side to attack on. Right behind the shield however, he was aiming his buster across his body to catch Mega Man. To his surprise, Mega Man came the _other way, _and pushed Break Man's elbow away so Mega Man had a clean shot. Mega Man drove his fist right into Break Man's helmet. _This is for Lan, you son of a bitch._

_CRRRNKCH!_

"OW! OW! OW!" Mega Man reeled back, holding his fist in pain. "MAN THAT HURT! I ALMOST BROKE MY HAND!" _HE DOES HAVE STRONG ARMOR!_

Break Man didn't waste any time. Immediately he swung his shield and slammed into Mega Man, swatting him like a fly. Break Man tried to follow up with a stomp on Mega Man's skull, but Mega Man rolled out of the way at the last second, turning on his jets.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" Break Man was bearing down on top of him, preparing to fire a Break shot point-blank in his face. Mega Man fired a buster shot right back. The two projectiles collided in mid air, causing an explosion.

"I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T SEE!" Break Man stumbled back.

When he turned back to face Mega Man, his prey was already gone.

"I'll get you." He said. "I swear to God, I'm not letting you go this time."

* * *

Rock got behind a tree to rest. _Big mistake, biiiig mistake to try that punch._ He thought. _But at least I got away. Now what?_

He went over his skirmish. _His defense with that shield is outstanding. The only weakness that I saw was when he tucked his cannon in behind the shield to catch me flanking him. If he hadn't have done that, he would have had me. That was really his biggest self-mistake so far. I was not prepared for an opponent with a shield. Now I have to make risky moves to just do chip damage. And what's worst, his armor can take all the chip damage that I throw at it. I can't keep taking these big risks to do so little damage. They don't even always pay off. I gotta do something big if I want to win this fight. I gotta use my special abilities, but how?_

He recalled how he used his Guts Block to catch Break Man off guard. He also thought about how Break Man just used the Super Arm to fire Guts Block at him, almost no different from Guts Man.

_I think I just found my tactical advantage._ He said with a grin. _And his weakness._

* * *

Break Man walked through the empty forest. He was _certain _that Mega Man had ran off this way. But so far, no evidence to match.

"THIS WOODLAND IS BARREN!" He yelled out. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!"

So far however, Mega Man had done just that.

Break Man could feel this opportunity slipping away from him. This was his one chance to finally destroy Mega Man, and he had let Mega Man run off.

"COME AND FACE ME COWARD!" Now he was absolutely furious. He didn't come for a hunt he came for a _fight._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadowy silhouette hiding under a nearby brook. _Oh, I'll play your game._

Break Man wheeled around toward the brook, keeping his attention dead-center on it. When he was close enough, he lashed out with his Break Cannon, pouring out shots and turning the stream into an inferno.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD OUTSMART ME?!" He yelled. "I HAVE FINALLY PROVEN AT LAST, THAT I AM-"

_Wait a second._ As he stared into the rubble, he saw that the figure that he had targeted wasn't Mega Man, but a Guts Block decoy!

_Guts Block?!_ Break Man looked around distraught. _Then... where's the REAL-_

"Gotcha." Mega Man released his Charge Shot.

_SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

As he saw it incoming, Break Man thought to raise his shield. _My shield won't hold, I have to dodge it!_

Break Man avoided the shot which then ran into a tree, obliterating it with a massive eruption.

_So that's the power of one of his charged shots._ Break Man thought. _I can't be hit by those._

He traced the Charged Shots' trajectory and started running towards the origin point.

He saw a startled Mega Man jump up and run away. _Guess you're little plan failed huh? I'm not letting you out of my sight again._

Soon they came to the edge of the treeline._ Once I've got you out in the open, you won't be able to do any more of your tricks! I've got you now! _Break Man thought as he ran between the last two trees.

Right before they exploded.

Mega Man turned around and saw the blasts go sky high. _I love it when a plan comes together._

While Break Man had been in the forest searching, Mega Man created a Guts Block figured of himself, went to a treeline, laid two Hyper Bombs in tree hollows, and then doubled back to wait for Break Man to find the Guts Block mold.

_He doesn't like to use the Robot Masters' Special Weapons. That means he doesn't innovate with them._ Mega Man thought to himself.

_Now to finish him off._ Mega Man turned green again. "Hyper Bomb!"

Making two bombs, Mega Man ran and threw them at Break Man, who was struggling to get up. The bombs detonated around him, engulfing him in their explosion.

Mega Man started throwing bomb after bomb after bomb, almost depleting his supply. As he looked down at the nova in front of him, he was sure that Break Man didn't escape at the last second.

_He's in there.__ I know he is._

As the smoke cleared, Mega Man saw Break Man in the newly-created crater. _There's no way he's getting up from that. This fight is over._

Walking over, Mega Man noticed that Break Man had cracks in his armor all over his body. _Those Hyper Bombs really are powerful, especially when you cluster them together. I gotta keep that in mind next ti-_

Red light began to come through the cracks of Break Man's armor.

Mega Man stepped back, just in case Break Man was about to explode.

The red light glowed brighter as chips of Break Man's armor started to fall off of him. The light became so intense it was blinding. Mega Man turned his head away as Break Man transformed.

When Mega Man turned his head, Break Man had changed. Gone was his thick red armor. Now it was a thin gray bodysuit-like design. His glowing one eye helmet now had a sunglasses visor.

Mega Man was stunned at his sleek new form. "Wow. This is... unexpected."

Break Man picked up his shield. "This is my true form. You may now call me Proto Man."

"Proto Man." As Mega Man stared at this new form, he couldn't help but notice just how much Proto Man looked like... _him._ "Enough with the bullcrap. There's something you're not telling me. First you have a cannon like me. Then you can use Special Weapons. Now you have a design like me. No. These are too many coincidences." He pointed his finger at Proto Man. "Who are you?!"

"I was created by Thomas Light and Yuchiro Hikari to be the first humanoid robot capable of independent thought and reasoning."

"You were built by Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari? Then..." Rock was taken aback, stunned. "Then that means-"

"I'm your brother, Rock!" Proto Man responded. "And I have come to defeat you and prove that I am the greatest creation ever!" He yelled. "They said I would change the world. They called me 'Mega Man.' However, they looked upon me as flawed. Weak. So they went to work building a new bot. One that would be much greater than I ever could be. That's you Rock. You might be Mega Man now, but I was Mega Man before you. I was to be disregarded and tossed to the wayside to make way for your glory. But I escaped. And with my energy supply almost depleted, Dr. Wily saved me, and this I was reborn as Proto Man. I was given a new body, new powers, a new life!"

"So all of this was to just settle a score?! You would sacrifice the world just to get revenge?"

"This world means nothing to me! Why should I fight to save it?" Proto Man said back. "Besides, Lord Wily is the only person that's ever cared about me! Why would I ever go against him? Look at you. How easy is it to fight for a world that wants you? That has parades for you. That celebrates you."

"I don't do it to be glorified. I do it because it's the right thing to do!"

"How would you know what right is?! You're just a machine!" Proto Man yelled. "You're just a machine that follows orders! I'm a machine that doesn't, so what does that make me?!"

"You don't follow orders?" Mega Man repeated. "I thought Wily sent you here to destroy me!"

"Wily might have sent me to fight, but trust me: this fight is of my own accord."

"There's a bigger picture at stake that just us!" Mega Man protested. "And If you can see that, if you don't _want_ to see that, then that's not my problem! My job is to defend this planet, and that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'm a defender!" He readied his Mega Buster.

"Well good for you." Proto Man powered up his Proto Buster. "I'm just a prototype."


	68. Help Our Souls

Geo and Sonia flew into the outskirts of DenTech City. "Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah." Geo said. "What. Is. That?"

The two of them looked at the mass swarm of robots that were flooding the streets. The bots looked like ants pouring out of an ant hill looking for whatever attacked them.

"Those are Wily's newest machines!" Barrell said through their Transers. "The flying ones are called Bladers, and the ones with shields are called Sniper Joes."

"How are we supposed to destroy all of those things?!" Geo said.

"Your arm cannons are lasers, right? Your cannons have a lock-on function. Just aim close and the cannon will do the rest. The cannon shots require a massive amount of energy, so they deal out plenty of damage. However, they require cooldown periods."

"Like this?" Sonia aimed her cannon at a patrolling Sniper Joe in a building. Firing off a shot, Sonia watched as the blast hit the foot soldier, blowing it up.

"Yes!" Sonia jumped up in celebration. "Geo, did you see that? I got one! I can't believe I actually-"

"Get down!" Geo quickly pulled her down into a bush. "Look who came to find us!"

Sonia peered out of the bush.

Fire Man's torch burned brightly as he approached the area. Geo and Sonia were absolutely frozen as he surveyed the area. After not finding anything, he slowly sauntered off.

Sonia was completely trembling as she closely hugged Geo. "I'm s-s-s-s-so sorry Geo." She stammered. "I was being careless. And we almost got caught an-"

Geo shushed her. "We can't afford to get spotted. We have sneak in, so stay quiet."

* * *

Ace checked the security cameras outside. "Okay, we lost them for a second." He turned back to Colonel.

After escaping the Robot Masters and their minions, Ace and Colonel found refuge in a Wal-Mart.

"Can we get an air strike or something? That is way too much for us to handle at once."

"They tried to call in drones. Robot Masters kept knocking them down."

"We can't hide out for long. This mech wasn't built for hiding."

"If you get out of it, I can probably get you to safety before they find us." Ace said._ At least someone will survive this._

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself. Besides, you want me to abandon my only means of self-defense? Ain't that desperate. At least not yet."

"So we have no plan. And an entire army to deal with. Maybe it's time to think about an escape route Colonel."

Trigger walked down the aisle, accompanied by Rush. "I wouldn't say we don't have a plan. I've got mines that we can use. We can lure the robots in here, and then Ka-Boom. The blast and the debris from this place would be quite the light show."

"Alright, we don't have anything else. Let's give it a shot." Ace said.

"I'll stay here and get whatever is flammable and combustible." Colonel said.

"Before we do all of that, I gotta do something real fast." Trigger went down to the ice cream aisle and got a tub off peanut butter ice cream. "Anyone got any spoons? Hold up some are over here. I'm good."

Colonel couldn't believe it. "At a time like this, you really want to get some ICE CREAM?!"

Trigger gave him a look. "There is a very likely chance that we could all be dead in 10 minutes. I'm just going to consider it my last meal. If you don't want any, that's on you, but I want a little something for the road. And right now, Ben and Jerry are looking really good."

"Honestly, he's gotta point." Ace said. "I'm going to go try one of those Mega Snacks."

Rush went off and started tearing through bags of kibble.

Colonel looked around at the madness around him.

"Screw it. I'm getting some of their chicken."

* * *

Elec Man tapped his foot impatiently. "Why are these brainless bots so useless?!" He shouted.

"They're not useless." Fire Man said. "They are here to make up for the fact that we are now outnumbered. And so far they've done just that."

"Well, why aren't we leading the charge instead of sitting here on the sidelines? We could have found them, killed them, and be taking on Mega Man by now!" Elec Man said.

"Dr. Wily doesn't want any more of us being destroyed. We are here to let the pawns do most of the work, and then swoop and make sure we put them on ice." Ice Man said.

"So I went from being a tiger to a vulture. Great." Elec Man muttered.

"I'm sure you will get your fun Elec Man." Fire Man said. "Bur for right now we need to-"

"Acid Laser!"

All 3 of them jumped out of the way as Ace destroyed the roof of the building they were on with an Acid Laser shot.

Elec Man looked high into the clouds and charged his fingertips. "I'm going to turn you to ashes!"

Fire Man held him back. "Soldiers! Attack!"

Ace looked down at the swarm of Blades rushing him. Good God they're like piranha.

"Wing Vernier!" Ace turned on his jet boosts and rocketed off away. He used his distance to turn back and started picking off the Bladers one by one._ Better do what I can right now. Makes things somewhat easier lat-_

A blaster shot whizzed right past his ear. Ace looked down to see the myriad of Mets and Sniper Joes shooting at him from down below. Some were on the streets, some were on cars, and a few had gotten on local buildings.

_Nevermind._ He thought, shifting his focus on dodging the enemy fire. He started weaving in and out of buildings and using them as cover.

As Ace flew around the city, he saw that more and more Mets and Sniper Joes had joined the pursuit. Good. Good. Just gotta keep them flowing in one direction so I can lead them into Wal-Mart all at once. Probably won't get them all, but if we can cut enough down at once, we might be able to manage them later.

Once Ace had all of the robots chasing him, he turned around and started heading back to Wal-Mart. _I wonder how many of them we can get in there before we blow the place up. Maybe if I go off and hide first, they won't go in there guns blazing._

Elec Man saw his chance. "THUNDER BEAM!"

He threw the bolt of electricity down. He watched with glee as it slammed down into Ace's back with a thunderous boom. Ace plummeted down and smashed into the street, creating a crater in the concrete.

"ACE!" Colonel dashed out of Wal-Mart in an instant. Rushing over to the Acid mech, Colonel saw that Ace was out cold. Hearing the errant whirring and cracking of the Acid mech, Colonel realized that the mech was about to explode. Ripping the mech open, Colonel retrieved Ace's body and ran back as the Acid suit exploded.

"Oh no." Trigger threw down his empty gasoline tank.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE MEDICINE?!" Colonel looked around.

"No! Get him out of here! This place is about to blow!

Trigger turned his head to the tidal wave of machinery coming down the street. "Go through the back! Rush, protect them! I can set this powder keg off all by myself! Just go!"

Colonel smashed through the back door with Rush escorted him. Trigger heard the front door open behind him. He jumped into the ventilation shaft in the ceiling and watched as all of the robots funneled into the store. Within minutes they had flooded the store.

If any of them fire off a shot, this place blows to hell. Trigger thought, listening to ominous hiss off propane gas.

Instead of looking for Trigger, the machines saw the hole Colonel left on the opposite corner of the store. They starting surging in that direction, completely disregarding the ever-present danger around them.

_They don't even care if they die. It's like their mindless._ Trigger watched as a Met kicked over a stack of dynamite. _They only know to destroy._ Trigger thought. _They are getting too close to the exit. Well, at least I've got them all in here at once. Time to set it off._

Trigger took a deep breath, closed his eyes.

3.

2.

1.

_Should have gotten an extra Twinkie._

* * *

The shockwave knocked Colonel off of his feet. He slid to the ground belly first, sticking his arms out to keep Ace safe.

He looked back behind him. The explosion had formed a red mushroom cloud. "Holy shit. Nothing could survive that."

Realizing what that meant, he turned to Rush. "You-you think he got out of there, right?"

He peered into the distance. "I don't see anything, except..."

The Robot Masters were high in the sky, looking down at the eruption.

"NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL A FIRE!" Fire Man yelled. "ITS BEAUTIFUL! I CAN SMELL THE KEROSENE FROM HERE!"

"Ah Christ." Colonel said. He turned to Rush. "Take Ace and get him out of here. I'll lead them away to buy you some time." Putting Ace on Rush's back, Colonel watched as Rush bounded up the street. Colonel walked across the street and looped around.

Unsheathing his sword, Colonel slashed out a wave of energy at the 3 Robot Masters. "Saber Slash!"

Elec Man saw it out of the corner of his eye. He instantly turned around and blocked it with his Electric Shield.

_Oh, fuck me._ Colonel slashed out wave after wave, but Elec Man's shield held firm.

Fire Man and Ice Man flew out from behind the shield. "Fire Storm!"

Colonel slashed the Fire Storm, canceling it out and created a small explosion.

Seeing Colonel distracted, Ice Man flanked him, firing out Ice Slashers.

Colonel's mech was too big and slow to dodge the Ice Slashers, and he took all of them in the side, almost shredding right through him.

Elec Man came charging in with a kick, knocking Colonel on his back.

"Time to end this!" He held his hand to the sky. "THUNDER BEAM!"

PEW!

A laser shot slammed right into his body, blasting him away.

Colonel looked up in amazement. "Trigger?"

Instead, he saw two figures in the saw. One was pink. The other was blue... but he wasn't Trigger. This one was much thinner.

"I-I-I couldn't let them kill that guy, Geo." Sonia said, still holding her cannon out.

"I know Sonia. I know." Geo said. He hadn't moved at all. Despite being absolute terrified at what was about to happen to him, Geo couldn't help but think what he would have done if Sonia hadn't done anything. Maybe he would have fired at Elec Man. Maybe he would have fired off a warning shot instead. Maybe he would have done nothing and let someone die.

Those thoughts were instantly erased, however, as he saw Elec Man get up. _Oh no._

Elec Man held his chest as he looked up at Geo and Sonia. Confusion and pain turned to rage and frustration.

"No. Not this." He said, sparking his fingers. "Every time I've been so close to victory, another pest rears their ugly head and deprives me of my glorious moment! No. Not again. NOT EVER AGAIN!"

His body flashed in electricity. "I WILL VAPORIZE EVERY ATOM IN YOUR BEINGS! HERE, AND NOW!"

click!

click!

Geo looked over at Sonia, who was desperately trying to fire her cannon. "HOW MUCH TIME DOES THIS COOLDOWN TAKE?!" She shrieked.

click!

click!

click!

click!

click!

click!

click!

click!

click!

click!

Elec Man rushed toward them full speed.

Realizing he still had his shot, Geo fired his cannon. PEW!

Elec Man raised his hands and formed his Electric Shield, blocking the laser shot.

However, Colonel noticed that Elec Man buckled in that shield.

He lashed out one last Saber Slash at Elec Man. The slash pounded heavily on the shield and dropped Elec Man down to one knee in the sphere.

Geo grabbed Sonia's arm. "RUN!" They flew off as fast as they possibly could.

It only enraged Elec Man even more. "GET BACK HERE!"

"I'll go help Elec Man!" Fire Man said to Ice Man. He looked at Colonel. "Deal with the trash."

As he flew off, Ice Man looked at Colonel. "Time to make sure you stay on ice for good!" He rushed Colonel with Ice Slashers in hands.

Colonel grabbed a fire hydrant and chucked it at Ice Man, slamming him through the wall. "I'm not done just yet!" He got back to his feet and readied his saber. "Let's go!"

From the hole in the wall, out came a flock of Ice Slashers. Colonel Saber Slashed them all down with a sweeping motion. An Ice Slasher came at him from his side. Colonel cut it down with his blade and kept turning on his pivot foot, spinning in a semicircle to meet the flanking Ice Man head on. Surprised by the move, Ice Man fell down. Colonel drove his saber down for the killing blow, but Ice Man rolled out of the way and scurried back. "Not as dumb as you look." He grunted. "But that won't save you from death's cold embrace."

* * *

Geo and Sonia zoomed through the city. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Sonia said.

"ANYWHERE BUT BACKWARDS!" Geo said, not even looking behind him.

"SO WHAT NOW?! THEY'RE GONNA KILLS US IF WE FIGHT THEM! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?!"

"IF WE JUST KEEP RUNNING, THEY CAN'T GET US! THOSE OTHER GUYS CAN GET THEM WHEN THEY'RE READY!"

"BUT GEO, WHERE WERE THEY BEFORE?! ARE-ARE THEY DEAD?! THEY WOULD HAVE HELPED THAT OTHER GUY IF THEY WEREN'T! IS IT REALLY UP TO US?!"

"NO WAY! SOMEONE'S GOING TO HELP! SOMEONE'S GOT TO HELP!" But as he thought of it more and more, he could only come to one grim conclusion. _No one's coming to help us. We ARE the help._

Then he heard Sonia scream.

He looked forward.

Fire Man was right in their path.

They came to a screeching halt, paralyzed with fear.

Elec Man came up from behind them. "CAUGHT YOU AT LAST!"

Elec Man and Fire Man were brimming with anticipation. Sonia and Geo were brimming with terror.

"Geo," Sonia said. "I'm going to go right. When I do, go left."

"Are you crazy? Split up?" Geo responded. "That's what they do in horror movies. Right before they start killing people."

"They will be easier to deal with and run from one at a time. Do you want to try to take them on as a team?" Sonia said.

_I don't care, just please don't leave me._ Geo wanted to say. But Sonia did have a point. He couldn't be irrational about this. Thinking would be the only way he would survive. "No. I guess that makes sense."

"Good." She gave his hand one last squeeze. "Please don't die. I promise I'll survive if you will."

"Okay Sonia. Ready when you are." 'Ready' was the absolute last thing he felt he was.

"GO!" Sonia sprinted off to her side. Geo sprinted off in the other direction. After turning a few street corners, he turned around to see if anything was following him.

It was Elec Man, completely incensed that these weaklings kept running. "COME GET WHAT'S COMING TO YOU COWARD!"

_I can keep outrunning him. I know I can!_ Geo thought. _I can stay in front of him again, and again, and again..._

_and eventually I'll lead him back to Sonia._

Against every part of his brain screaming for self-preservation, Geo flew down and landed in the snowy street.

* * *

"FINALLY!" Elec Man said, landing himself. " NOW DIE!" He bolted forward, ready to throw a punch. His enemy didn't even move as Elec Man bore down on him. Elec Man swung...

and only hit air.

He turned around in shock. HE SIDESTEPPED IT? BUT HOW?

Geo couldn't believe it. He had actually dodged a punch. The punch came like any other regular person threw it. But how? There's no way he's moving and at the speed of a human.

Elec Man swung again. Geo ducked under it and then juked out of harm's way.

"DAMNIT!" Elec Man threw a flurry of punches. Geo managed to weave his way through them all.

"HOW ARE YOU POSSIBLY THIS FAST?!" Elec Man roared.

"You-You can't hit me. I'm too fast." Geo said, more to himself than Elec Man.

"I CAN," Elec Man charged his fists. "AND I WILL!"

Elec Man fired out a shower of sparks. Geo rocketed back out of the way, outrunning the blasts.

Elec Man shot out more aimed shots, one from each hand at a time. Geo dodged every single one of them, bobbing back and forth. _I can dodge these too? No way!_

Elec Man fired out a bolt of electricity. Geo moved his head just in time before the bolt reached him. Going over Geo's shoulder, the bolt hit a mailbox, turning it to ash and fire in the snow.

Elec Man threw another bolt. Geo slanted out to the side. The bolt hit a store sign, blowing a large hole into the building and vaporizing the sign itself.

Elec Man let out one last bolt. This one didn't seem to be directly aimed at Geo. _What is he-_

The bolt hit the truck next to Geo, catching him in the eruption.

"GUESS I COULD HIT YOU AFTER ALL!" Elec Man said triumphantly as Geo fall back down to the ground, landing in a heap in the middle of the street.

"AND NOW TO FINISH YOU OFF!" Elec Man charged his hand. "THUNDER B-"

A tree slammed right into him, sending him flying.

"Not gonna be that easy." Trigger muttered

The explosion had ripped all of Trigger's tough strong armor off. His remaining armor was as thin as a rail. He was more burnt black than blue. With his helmet gone, his hair was exposed to the elements as the cold wind blew.

He limped over to Geo, who was still crumpled on the ground. "Geo. Wake up." He smacked Geo's face. "Geo. Get up. We don't have a lot of time.

Geo eventually stirred. "Wh-wh-where am I..." He mumbled weakly.

"Your about to die if you don't get up right now!" Trigger said, shaking him.

Geo tried to stand, stumbling back to his feet. "I don't feel good." He felt like he had to throw up.

"I got blown up at Wal-Mart Geo, I've had a rough day too but I'm still ticking." He gave Geo a smile. "I saw you tango with Elec Man. Next time, try throwing a punch."

"Throw a punch?" Geo repeated. "I don't know if I can-"

"Geo, you and Sonia are the fastest people in the world right now; of course you can! Besides-" He turned to the broken window Elec Man had been flung into. "HE AINT SHIT! ELEC MAN? MORE LIKE SOCKET MAN! BECAUSE ALL YOU DO IS 'SUCK IT' MAN!"

Trigger leaned on a streetlight. "I probably shouldn't be antagonizing him. My armor is blown to bits, my buster is totaled, I can't even fly anymore."

"Are you saying you can't fight?" Geo asked.

"If you hold him down, I can punch him in the face, if you want." Trigger replied. "Other than that, its pretty much just you and him. So if you die, I'm pretty much next."

"I don't know if I can beat him Trigger!" Geo protested. "He's got so many attacks and moves-"

"Stop telling me what you can't do Geo!" Trigger shouted. "First you outran him, then you dodged all of his attacks. What more do you need? You're faster than him. You know that! Now it's time for you to fight back, and when you do, DON'T HOLD BACK MAN! COME ON! PUT YOUR ALL INTO IT! Besides, you still have your cannon right? Just beat him Geo. I know you can. And deep down, you do too."

Trigger looked over at the window. "He is taking his awful sweet time getting back over here, you don't think he ran off do y-"

Geo threw Trigger across the street and jumped up, just avoiding the Thunder Beam that had crashed down upon them. He fired off a shot from his cannon. It hit Elec Man and dropped him from the air.

Geo landed on his back, his heart was pounding like a drum. His mind was racing a million miles, but he didn't know what to think.

"THERE WE GO!" Trigger said, picking him up and giving him a pat on the back. "NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

Trigger looked up. Fire Man and Ice Man looked at the still-down Elec Man. Elec Man pushed them away as he slowly got back to a vertical base. "Geo, I don't want to alarm you, but get ready to run, and carry me with you."

"Elec Man, your stabilizers have been compromised. We need to evacuate." Fire Man said.

"Just get me to a power source, I can still fight!" Elec Man said. "I will not let another weed grow to pester us again!"

"Nonononono." Ice Man said, "I'm looking at you. The next shot you take might blow you open.

"Nonsense!" Elec Man flew up and grabbed a power line. "See?" He said, the electricity flowing into him and healing him. "I'm already feeling bett-"

"LOOK OUT!" Ice Man desperately flung out an Ice Slasher at Elec Man.

"WHAT ARE YOU-" Elec Man followed it with his eyes as the Ice Slasher flew past him and hit the laser shot that had been coming up to his side right at his damage stabilizer.

The explosion knocked Elec Man off of the power line. Fire Man caught him. "That shot would have killed you!" He said. "Ice Man, we are leaving NOW!"

The three Robot Masters quickly retreated from the battlefield.

Trigger and Geo looked up to see Sonia on a rooftop, her cannon cooling down.

"YEAH! YOU BETTER RUN!" She shouted at the fleeing robots. She turned around and that's when she noticed Geo and Trigger in the middle of the street.

She quickly flew down to them. "Geo! You're alive!"

She gave him a big hug, and Geo hugged her back. "I can't believe it." Geo said. "We won."

"We aren't finished yet." Trigger said. "First, we have to go check on that Repliforce guy. Then we have to go make sure Mega Man is alright. But yeah, the worst part should be over."

"Trigger, I can't believe you survived that explosion. How did you do that?" Sonia asked.

"Well, Wal-Mat strives for customer saftey and satisfaction." Trigger joked, walking off.

Despite his mood, Trigger couldn't help but have a bad feeling about something. It all felt too good to be true.


	69. Vanity

Mega Man stared at Proto Man's new form. _He has faster now with that sleek design. I wonder how much faster._ Mega Man thought. _At least he isn't as tough this time. One Charge Shot will put him down. Now, how to make the first move..._

Proto Man decided to initiate combat, charging first and firing off shots. The energy rounds weren't as large as Break Man's, but Mega Man was still wary of them.

Proto Man swung his shield, much quicker than before. Mega Man jumped on the shield and fired down at Proto Man, but Proto Man bent over backward and slide forward, throwing Mega Man off of his shield and put the shield behind him as Mega Man blasted off shots from behind. The shield blocked every buster shot.

_HE'S SO MUCH MORE FASTER NOW! AS FAST AS ME!_ The only way I can win is if I get rid of that shield! Mega Man thought to himself. I_'ve still got a few Special Weapons left! Maybe I can blow that shield away with a Hyper Bomb!_

Turning green, Mega Man made two Hyper Bombs and threw them at Proto Man. Instead of trying to withstand the bombs, Proto Man elected to dodge them all together, dashing out the way.

_I'm gonna have to get in closer._

Charging in, Rock threw a few more Hyper Bombs. Proto Man shot them all down, blowing them up.

Mega Man jumped back, careful not to get caught in the explosion. _I only have one bomb left, I gotta make it count!_

Throwing his last bomb in the air, Mega Man watched as Proto Man shot at it. "You're not getting me from overhead again!" Proto Man blasted it.

"Mega Man charged and slid, knocking Proto Man in his shins and taking him off his feet.

Mega Man twisted his body and shot at Proto Man from behind. The shots found their mark, blasting Proto Man in the back.

"Gah!" Proto Man held his back, wincing at the pain as welts, bruises, and burn marks formed on his body.

Mega Man jumped up, and came back down on Proto Man, trying to stomp on Proto Man.

Proto Man raised his shield at the last second, blocking Mega Man's feet. However, the shield still pressed down on him and crushed him as he was plastered into the ground.

Mega Man didn't stop there. He immediately set to stomping a mud hole in his brother, driving his foot down again and again and again and again and again, only getting faster and more furious by the second.

"COME ON!" He roared, still mashing down with his foot. "YOU WANT ME SO BAD?! I'M RIGHT HERE! GET RID OF THAT SHIELD! FIGHT ME!"

Seeing that Proto Man wasn't moving, Mega Man rose into the air and started charging his Mega Buster, releasing the shot with incredible force.

Proto Man threw his shield out of the way, and then quickly dived the other way, barely escaping the blast.

As Proto Man took a second to catch his breath, Mega Man saw his chance. He swooped into Proto Man and lead in with a stiff kick.

Proto Man dodged out of danger as the kicked sailed right past his head. Mega Man was between him and his shield.

"This ends now." Mega Man growled, throwing a punch.

Proto Man caught the punch in his hands, but Mega Man kept driving his fist, getting closer and closer to Proto Man's face.

Proto Man turned Mega Man's fist, twisting his arm. He followed up with a kick to the chest which took all the air out of Mega Man's attack. Proto Man followed up with another kick, this time to Mega Man's side.

Mega Man dropped to one knee. Proto Man kicked him in the chin. He threw away Mega Man's hand and threw a punch of his own, striking Mega Man's cheek and dropping him to the snowy ground.

Mega Man immediately got back to his feet and charged again, winding up his fist. Proto Man was getting ready to block again when Mega Man fired off his Mega Buster, blasting Proto Man in the chest and knocking him down.

Mega Man stood on top of Proto Man, ready to shoot him in the head. Proto Man swept Mega Man's leg, and the buster shot missed, and inch to the left of Proto Man's face.

Both of them got up at the same time. Mega Man fired off a shot, and Proto Man dodged it.

Mega Man followed up with a punch to Proto Man's stomach, doubling him over.

Mega Man put his Mega Buster right in Proto Man's face.

_PEW!_

Proto Man flew back, crashing to the snowy ground.

Mega Man dropped down to his knees, exhausted. _That was... too close. But I did it, I beat him. All I had to do was get rid of that shield and keep attacking._

_He got back to his feet. He didn't have a Special Weapon that he was weak too, so this was a tricky fight. I'm glad I managed to get the critical shot. It almost became a-_

Mega Man saw Proto Man move.

_knock down drag out fight... oh boy._

Digging his fingers in the snow, Proto Man got back to one was dripping from his face onto the ground, making the white ground red.

He slowly got up and turned to a stunned Mega Man.

Is he still going? Mega Man couldn't believe it. One side of Proto Man's sunglasses were blown off, revealing a glowing red eye. That same side of his face had a nasty cut that ran from the bottom of his eye directly down to running off of his chin. The smallest bit of brown hair exposed itself on Proto Man's cracked helmet

"Give up. You can't beat me." Mega Man said.

"Not the way I was going about it at first." Proto Man said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mega Man retorted.

"I tried to strategize ahead for this fight." Proto Man replied. "With my Break form, and then using my shield. But you've been improvising from the get-go. Everything I've done, you worked your way around, and you've kept me on my heels. I've tried to avoid taking damage but... I guess that's not working so well. I guess I'm just going to have beat you. I'm gonna come firing out with everything I've got, and I will beat you."

"You've taken too much damage already. At this point, you can't beat me. Stop trying."

"You think I've done all of this just to give up now?" Proto Man said. "I'm never going to quit."

"We can work this out!" Mega Man said. "We don't have to fight each other!"

"What exactly is there to work out?!" Proto Man shouted. "I'm not supposed to be here, and that's only because of you. There's only one way to settle this."

"No there isn't! I bet Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari would love to have you back! They can repair you, and we can defeat Wily together!"

"Do you really think, that I would EVER, go back to the men who disowned me? Tell me, if they wanted me back so much, do they ever talk about me?"

"N-N-No. They never did." Mega Man admitted.

"Exactly! They don't want me back!" Proto Man yelled. "They're ashamed of me! They think of me as a failure! They would rather pretend I never existed! I would rather DIE, RIGHT HERE, THAN EVER GO BACK TO THEM!"

"What does dying here accomplish? Nothing!" Mega Man said.

"THAT'S WHY I HAVE TO BEAT YOU!" Proto Man said.

From that bright bright spark in Proto Man's red eye, Mega Man could tell that this meant the world to him. "Why do you want this so much?! We can do this later! AFTER the world is safe! This fight doesn't really matter!"

"Now I might not matter to you, or to Light, or to Hikari, but I matter to me! And to me, this fight, this fight right here, is the ONLY thing that matters! I couldn't care less about the world!"

"That's not true! If you wanted to take over the world, you would have been with the Robot Masters in taking over the world!"

"I said I don't care about this world, not that I don't want to take it over!" Proto Man replied. "If Wily wins, great. If he doesn't, then that's just the way it is."

"So I know your not a bad guy! You know this is wrong!" Mega Man said. Something about Proto Man was strange.

"I don't care about what's right and what's wrong! All I care about my revenge."

"And then what? You kill me, and then what do you do?" Mega Man said. I've got it now about what's so wrong with him. Mega Man thought. The more and more I look at him, the more that he kinda looks a little bit like La-

"That's then, and this is now." Proto Man said. "And right now, you and I have something to finish."

"Whatever happens now, it's your choice." Mega Man said, bracing himself.

"Exactly. My choice." Proto Man replied.

Proto Man rushed forward, firing off shots. Mega Man dashed to the side and fired off several buster rounds himself. Proto Man rolled under them.

Mega Man rushed in to punch Proto Man, swinging hard at Proto Man's exposed face. Proto Man blocked it and headbutted Mega Man in the stomach. He followed up with a punch to Mega Man's face.

Mega Man fell back stunned. Proto Man kept attacking, charging and smashing his knee into Mega Man's face.

Mega Man got up again and tried to fight back, throwing punch after punch after punch. Proto Man blocked them all. On the last punch, he caught it and threw Mega Man's arm out, before connecting to Mega Man's cheek with a punch of his own.

Mega Man tried to fire his buster again, but Proto Man kicked the buster upwards with a kick, sending the shot off target. Proto Man aimed his own buster at Mega Man's face. "Now we're even."

PEW!

Mega Man flew back, crashing into the ground.

"Suddenly this fight got a whole lot more even!" Proto Man said. "Maybe I can beat you after all!"

Proto Man took a second to think and catch his breath as he watched Mega Man crawl away, a trail of blood following behind. Chips of metal that used to be the front half of his helmet were scattered along the ground._ I'm stronger than Mega Man, I might even be faster too. I just have to be smarter than him, and I'm set._

Mega Man crawled up to Proto Man's shield and hid behind it.

Proto Man decided to wait him out. Mega Man wasn't moving.

Every second seem like an eternity. _What is he doing?_ Proto Man thought. _Is he healing up? No way would he risk that. But at the same time, I'm giving him plenty of time to. He must be waiting for me to come over there so he can ambush me?_

Proto Man raised his hand and readied his buster. _I guess he forgot last time._ He thought. _I can manipulate my shield from afar!_

Proto Man shield came towards him and Mega Man came shooting out as well. His blue armor had turned a gray silver.

_What the-_

Mega Man threw something at Proto Man, and Proto Man recognized what it was just as it reached him.

_ROLLING CUTTERS?_ Proto Man tried to duck as the cutter reached him, but the blade slashed his shoulder.

_WHY WOULD HE USE ROLLING CUTTERS AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!_

Mega Man instantly rushed down Proto Man, slashing at him with a Rolling Cutter in each hand.

Proto Man jumped back and fired off a shot, trying to stop Mega Man in his tracks.

_PEW!_

_KSHHNNNNK!_

Mega Man deflected the shot right back at Proto Man, and the shot popped Proto Man in the chest, knocking him off of his feet.

_THE ROLLING CUTTERS CAN DEFLECT MY BUSTER SHOTS?_ Proto Man realized as he landed flat on his back.

Mega Man put his blades to Proto Man's neck. "Surrender. You lose."

"Never."

Proto Man punched Mega Man off of him. He reached out to grab his shield and swung it around to protect him right as the cutters hit him, crashing into the shield.

_If those things can deflect my buster shots, my main weapon is useless!_ Proto Man thought. _And I can't fight him hand to hand, he looks like he knows how to use those Rolling Cutters well. Wait, I can do it too! Two can play that game!_

Proto Man started turning silver.

"Oh no you don't! Mega Man jumped up in the air, unleashing a barrage of Rolling Cutters down on Proto Man.

Proto Man abandoned his shield and moved out of the way, losing his silver color.

Mega Man let out another barrage of cutters, and Proto Man shot several of them down, scrambling away.

Mega Man noticed he was chasing Proto Man back to the nearby woodlands. _I've got another idea._

He threw out another flurry of Rolling Cutters, and while Proto Man shot them down, Mega Man threw out another Rolling Cutter. The lone cutter sliced through a giant redwood tree, which fell down in Proto Man's path.

Proto Man jumped back out of the way, turned to face Mega Man, and-

_KSHHNNNNK!_

Proto Man flew back, suddenly gasping. He crashed into a tree.

_What was that?_ He looked down.

A Rolling Cutter was impaled in his body, piercing straight through his stomach. The blade was so deeply embedded into him that it had become lodged into the tree behind him. Proto Man was like a pinned fly.

He tried to scream, but his body wouldn't let him, only being able to shake.

Mega Man flew down, looking at Proto Man in pain. His brother...

No.

No, he wouldn't feel sorry for Proto Man.

He gave him numerous chances to surrender.

This was his own fault.

"This was your choice Proto Man!" Mega Man yelled, going back to Buster Mode. "It was always your choice!" He starting charging his buster

Proto Man looked at the flash of white and blue energy that was charging in front of him. _This is it. This is the moment I've been waiting for._

He weakly raised his Proto Buster in the air. A surge of energy coursed through him. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, still being impaled by the Rolling Cutter.

_Gotcha now._ He said, with a small smile full of blood.

_Proto Strike._

A yellow-orange beam of energy shot out of the Proto Buster.

HOLY- Mega Man tried to fire off his semi-charged shot to block it. _CROOOOOOOOOM-_

_Too late Mega Man._

_SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

Proto Man blacked out for a few minutes from the explosion.

When he came back to, he saw... he saw...

Rock Hikari laying on the ground, armor gone.

_Is, is he done for?_ Proto Man thought.

He tried to walk over but spat out more blood with the slightest movement.

He looked down. He had to get that cutter out of his body.

Reaching down, Proto Man grabbed the cutter and ripped it out of his body.

He dropped to the ground in agony, curling in a ball.

_Focus...focus_. Proto Man thought. Rock was still on the ground.

Proto Man slowly crawled over to Rock, clenching the Rolling Cutter.

Inch by inch, Proto Man willed himself to move, worming his way over to his brother. As he reached Rock, Proto Man raised his cutter to strike.

Rock opened his eyes, seeing the disfigured, bloody phantom above him. Proto Man pushed the blade to Mega Man's throat, ready to end his life.

"You...win..." Rock whispered.

Proto Man hesitated, being snapped out of his murderous trance.

Then he noticed something in the distance. Three objects were closing in fast, and they weren't the Robot Masters.

Proto Man looked at Rock, and then back to the sky, pausing for a moment.

"Next time." He said, bringing his shield towards him.

A rocket hole opened at the bottom of the shield as Proto Man sat on it. He gave Rock one last look.

"I want you to tell Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari, that their greatest creation ever, that the world's savior, that the most powerful and advanced robot on the planet, was beaten by a mere prototype. And I will be back. And when I do, I won't let you go."

With that, Proto Man rode away on his shield, victorious.


	70. Fallout Part 1

Geo, Sonia, and Trigger flew over to Rock.

"Oh boy." Trigger said to himself as they touched down. "Rock, what happened?"

"I lost the fight." Rock said meekly. "He beat me."

"Who beat you?!" Geo said, almost having a nervous breakdown. If someone could defeat Mega Man, what chance did Geo have against them?

"My brother." Rock spat out, trying to get back to a knee.

"YOU HAVE A BROTHER?!" All three shouted at him at once.

Rock held his head in pain. "Owowowowow. Please, no loud noises. And yes, apparently I have a robot brother."

_He has relatives?_ Geo couldn't believe it.

Trigger looked at the battlefield. "Judging by the look of things, you must have put up quite the fight before the split town."

"Do you think we can catch him?" Sonia asked.

"Let's leave well enough alone." Trigger said. Risking Geo and Sonia's life twice in one day was more than what he could do.

Sonia picked Rock up. "So are we going back to the mansion now?"

"Yeah. We have to get me patched up, and Rock needs serious attention." Trigger clung to Geo as Geo started flying into the air. "That's enough for one day team."

* * *

"Well Rock, let's have a look at you." Barrell set him down on the table.

Doing a scan on Rock, Barrell quickly found something out.

"I have no idea how he works." Barrell said. He turned back to Rock. "Tell me you have a self-repair function."

"I do." Rock said, slowly making his way off of the table. "I just need a nap on the couch. I'm exhausted."

"Alright then, I'll see you later. Rest up."

"So um, how do we get out of these?" Geo and Sonia were still in their EM suits.

"You should be able to EM Wave Change out of your suits with your Transers."

"Really?" Sonia pressed a button on her Transer. In a flash, a pink wave flashed over her and reverted back into her Transer. Sonia was left back in her regular clothes.

"That's convenient." Geo turned back into his normal formal as well. As he was about to take the Transer off, Barrell shook his head. "Keep the Transers for now."

"Are you serious?!" Sonia said in delight.

"Are you serious?!" Geo said in terror.

"You've earned the right to keep them." Barrell responded. "Besides, we never know when the Robot Master's may return. And you can't always come here at the drop of a hat."

"But how do we charge these things?! How do we repair them or something?! And what if someone sees us?!" Geo was exasperated. Barrell really was a lunatic.

"If they get damaged, bring them in. Since EM waves come from the Sun, just put them in a nice windowsill. And besides Geo, the only person that would recognize them in anyone at AMAKEN. Other than that, they would probably call it some hot new technology. By the way, the Transers are linked to your DNA only, so EM wave changing won't work on anyone else."

"These things are way too big for us to lug around 24/7." Geo reasoned. "And if one of us accidentally EM Wave changes in public, we're done for!"

"Then just keep them under your bed. You always keep your room clean, so Hope only goes in there for your laundry. It's the perfect hiding spot!"

"See! Someone around here is using logic instead of just panicking." Barrell said, clapping for Sonia.

"Thanks Barrell!" Sonia said. Suddenly, her stomach growled. "Gosh, all that excitement has got me starving! It is okay if I use your kitchen?"

"Sure. Knock yourself out." Barrell replied.

"All right! C'mon Geo! I hope they have hamburgers! They're my favorite!"

* * *

Glyde checked to see if Geo and Sonia were out of earshot. Seeing that they were, he nodded back to Trigger and Barrell.

"Now that they are gone, let's talk about what happened out there." Barrell said.

"I'll tell you what happened. Rock lost a fight. Mega Man fucking lost a fight. He would have been dead if we came maybe literal seconds later." Trigger said. "If Mega Man dies, the world dies with him. He is the glue keeping everyone's peace of mind intact if you haven't noticed. And look Barrell, you know me. I'll fight to the very end, but I won't be able to beat the Robot Masters by myself, especially if that Proto Man guy is even stronger than Mega Man."

"What about Repliforce? Surely they can still be of assistance." Glyde said.

"Not anymore. That Ace guy's suit blew today, and the other guy's mech was totaled when we found him. He had to get out and walk. Unless Repliforce made spares, they're out of the game for now."

Trigger put his hands to his head as he further analyzed the situation he was in. "If Repliforce is gone, it's up to me, Rock, Rush, Geo, and Sonia to fight against the Robot Masters and their army. And I hate to say it, but Geo and Sonia are going to get themselves killed if they go out there again. I just know it."

"Have faith in Geo and Sonia Trigger. They have the potential to be incredible." Barrell said.

"Yeah, but do we have that kind of time?" Trigger asked. "You realize that today was a loss for us right?! We lost that fight. We just sent them running because they weren't willing to risk another Master. But if they realize their advantage right now, they could come firing back. They could come back tomorrow, they could come back in three days, they could come back in a week, they could be back for Christmas. Geo and Sonia might have to come through in a situation where the odds are _against_ them. I hardly think they are ready for a situation in which the odds are _with_ them! You have to take their Transers back Barrell, it's not right to do this to them."

"They managed to survive today, right?"

"I had to save Geo from getting killed by Elec Man. Sonia managed to deal with Fire Man, but all she did was dart around in the air. Not bad considering that Fire Man is too slow to keep up with her. But next time, they might really have to fight. And I'm not sure I'll be able to take care of them. Barrell..."

Trigger paused for a second. "Barrell...we might be sending two little kids to die."

All three of them fell silent for a minute, taking that statement in.

"Well..." Barrell said slowly. "better to die when there's hope than to die when there isn't."

"That's not your choice Barrell." Trigger said, furious that Barrell would be so cavalier with life.

"I didn't make this choice, they did."Barrell responded. "And look, I know this is going to be hard, but you need them. Geo and Sonia are here to stay."

"And if they die?" Trigger asked. "Are you willing to accept that on your conscious? Are you willing to tell Hope Stelar that her little boy is dead? And that it's all your fault?"

Barrell froze for a second, not sure how to reply.

_Oh dear._ Glyde thought. _I recognize that look on Barrell's face. He's not intimidated, he's offended._

Barrell slowly leaned over, getting right in Trigger's face and looking at him straight in the face. "I was the same person, who looked my wife dead in the eye, and told her that her daughter and son-in-law had died. I watched that put her in an early grave. Now after all of that, after all of these years, I'm still ticking! So yeah Trigger, to answer your question, I can handle being the bearer of bad news. Don't you _ever_ ask me no damn question like that again, do you understand me?" He said, trying his best not to shout and alert Geo and Sonia. "I'll ask you this Trigger; are you willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen?"

"I am." Trigger said without hesitation. "And I will."

"Good." Barrell said, walking away down the corridor.

"At least give them new equipment." Trigger said. "Arm cannons aren't going to cut it."

"I know. I'll start working on it now." Barrell retorted. "I'll take their Transers and see what I can-"

An ear-piercing scream came from the kitchen, grabbing the attention of all three of them.

"The devil?" Glyde raced forward, Barrell and Trigger not too far behind. _DID THEY FOLLOW US BACK HOME?_ Trigger thought, cursing himself for never checking behind him.

As they came into the kitchen, they found, they found, they found...

Roll Caskett all over Sonia Sky.

"OH MY GOSH!" Roll squealed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE ITS REALLY YOU!"

"Um, yeah, hi!" Sonia said blushing, clearly flustered.

Geo realized that Sonia's hair dye was gone, and she was now instantly recognizable. "What happened to your yellow hair? Did it go back with the Wave Change? How does that even work?"

Glyde, Barrell, and Trigger all sighed with relief.

"Kids, I'm going to need your Transers back for now. I'm going to give you new powers for later."

"Here, take them." Geo quickly slipped the Transer off of his arm, then took Sonia's.

"Wait, that was you guys out there?!" Roll asked excitedly. "You're real-life superheroes! You have to tell me EVERYTHING!"

Roll grabbed Sonia's arm and took her upstairs to her room.

Rock looked up from the couch. "Hey! Some of us are trying to sleep here!"

Geo looked at all the madness around him. "This is my life from now on, isn't it? Just great." He followed Roll and Sonia upstairs.

* * *

_DING! DONG!_ The doorbell went.

Glyde went up to it and looked out of the peephole. "Its Mr. Light and Mr. Hikari. Shall I let them in?"

"At once." Barrell said.

Once the door opened, Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari came in distraught. "Rock! Where are you?" They said.

"Over here." Rock said, getting off of the couch. For a few seconds, his knee buckled as he limped across the foyer.

"You look terrible, what happened to you?" Dr. Hikari reached out to touch Rock, but Rock swatted his hand away.

"You never told me I had a robotic older brother." Rock growled.

"Y-Y-You mean Blues?" Dr. Hikari said in shock. "Blues did this to you?"

"Apparently, he goes by the name Proto Man now." Trigger said. "And he didn't just attack Rock, he beat him. He beat Mega Man, all by himself.

"Who is he?" Rock asked.

"He was the first robot we built." Dr. Light said hesitantly. "But his core energy supply kept...malfunctioning. We had to shut him down, but he ran off. Auto went after him, but Blues didn't leave a trace. His core wouldn't last for more than a week anyway, so we just assumed he had powered off and shut down somewhere."

"Why didn't you ever will me this?" Rock asked.

"What would be the point? If he was dead, why would we talk about it? It would only make us hurt more that he was gone. He was a son to us. Just like you are now. And to accept his death was heartbreaking. Talk about it only made it worse. So we moved on. To Roll, and then to you."

"But now he's back, and now he's more powerful than Mega Man." Trigger said. "So we have that to deal with."

"Does he have some sort of weakness that I can exploit?" Rock asked.

"I would say his energy supply, but since Albert apparently fixed that up, I don't know." Dr. Light said. "Listen Rock, I am so sorry that this happened."

Rock wanted to be mad at Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari, but then he realized that that shouldn't be who he was mad at. "It's fine. I just wished you had told me. Its not your fault. I completely understand why you didn't say anything. I wasn't ready for Proto Man this time, next time I will be."

"Well let's just get you home for now so we can repair you, and we can talk about everything later." herded Rock to the door.

Before leaving, Rock turned to Trigger and Barrell. "Thanks you guys, for saving my life."

"Don't mention it." Trigger said. "Just remember who your friends are alright?"

Rock nodded. "Right. See you later."

"And don't worry about Proto Man." Trigger said. "I know you put up a hell of a fight. Trust me, you'll get him next time."

* * *

"I DEFEATED MEGA MAN!" Proto Man said as he triumphantly came back into Wily Castle.

"You do it?" Dr. Wily said, getting out of his chair. "You killed Mega Man?"

"No. I was unable to deal the finishing blow." Proto Man admitted.

"See? What did I tell you?" Elec Man said, exasperated. "I knew he couldn't do it. And just look at him." Elec Man observed Proto Man's crippled status. "He's fucked up six ways from Sunday."

"The only reason I couldn't do it, Elec Man, was because three figures were heading my direction, and they were NOT you three. Would you like to tell me who they were?"

"It's totally crazy." Ice Man said. "Two people came out of nowhere. They were fast as all hell. Elec Man got damaged in his stabilizers, so we brought him back."

"Elec Man got damaged, huh?" Proto Man paced around the room. "So what about you two, Ice Man and Fire Man. How are you holding up?"

"I got a few bumps, but I'm fine for the most part." Ice Man said. "The Mets, Sniper Joes, and Bladers did most of the work for us, especially early on."

Fire Man nodded in agreement.

"So the only reason you retreated was for Elec Man's safety right? You could have stayed and fought if you really wanted."

"I suppose so, yes."

"So really, all of this is Elec Man's fault." Proto Man concluded. "Elec Man, this is why you're the weak link of the Robot Masters."

"The weak link?" Elec Man repeated. "The weak link? The weak link. I'm the weak link?" He stood up, electrifying his fingers. "Why don't find out who the weak link is right now?!"

Dr. Wily got between Elec Man and Proto Man. "You idiots! What do you think you're doing? This is the problem with finger-pointing! What are you even fighting about? We should be celebrating! All of our plans worked to perfection! Think about it! If those unknown factors had not introduced themselves, all of our enemies would have fallen. Am I or am I not correct in saying this?"

"You're right Lord Wily."

"So why are we mad at each other? We were robbed out of victory again, only by being blindsided by new foes. It's nobody's fault what happened today. Got it?"

Proto Man and Elec Man stared at each other for a few more seconds. "Yes, Lord Wily." the mumbled.

"Good. Now everyone go to the healing and repair centers." Dr. Wily instructed. "I shall begin planning for the next step in our conquest, but celebrate the day gentlemen, you've earned it."

* * *

Dr. Light and Dr. Hikari stood looking at their computer, observing Rock's system as he was undergoing repair. It was almost midnight in the Hikari home.

"So, Blues is still alive." Yuichiro said. "And he's allied with Wily."

"Listen Yuichiro," Thomas started. I know how much you must be hurting right now, but there's nothing we can do about it now. We have to focus on Rock right now. Is there any way we can prepare Rock for his next fight with Blues?"

"His next fight? I don't want them to fight at all!" He shouted.

"Blues tried to kill Rock today!" Dr. Light retorted. "We have to find a way to make Rock stronger than Blues."

"I don't want Rock to kill Blues either! There has to be a better way than this."

"And if there isn't?" Thomas looked at Yuichiro. "Our main priority right now is Rock."

"And you're just going to disregard Blues? Blues is my-"

"I know what Blues is to you Yuichiro. But what about Rock? What about Lan? What about everyone else?" Thomas asked. "I know this is hard, but what are you prepared to do to ensure to Rock is safe?"

Yuichiro slammed his hands on the table. "You know what? I can't deal with this right now. I'm going back upstairs."

Thomas was about to say something but decided against it. _I'll give him time. No use pressing the issue._

He turned back to Rock, who was still in repair. Thomas was truly proud of him. After just a few battles, Rock had slowly gained more skill with each encounter from the Robot Masters. But now Blues has arrived, and he beat Rock in his first fight. How long had Blues been training, waiting for this moment? At the least, a few months since Wily's War had only just begun. But if Blues had really pushed himself, at most, he's been waiting years for this conflict with Rock.

"Don't worry Rock, I'll get you through this." He said quietly. "I promise. I'll find a way to make you stronger. You will win.

Even if it means Blues has to die."


	71. Fallout Part 2

She was standing in the middle of the street, wearing her EM suit.

"Wh-Where am I?" Sonia looked around in the pitch black night of DenTech City.

"Is anyone there?" She called out into the darkness.

Not getting any response, she started wandering through the desolate city. Sonia felt the emptiness surround her.

There has to be someone else here. She thought. If I keep walking around. I'll find some-

Heavy, dauntless footsteps came in from distance, startling her.

"Geo?" She asked toward the noise coming to her.

As the sounds came closer, Sonia realized that that was definitely NOT Geo.

"I gotta get out of here!" Sonia jumped into the air, trying to turn on her EM Wave jets. They never came on and Sonia came right back to Earth, crashing in the pavement.

"What's going on? Why are you working?!" She quickly grabbed at her boots, desperately shaking them, trying to make turn on and fly away.

As the footsteps came closer, Sonia panicked and started running, tearing down the street.

"HELP!" She called out. "SOMEONE HELP ME!" Not a single response from the abandoned city.

The footsteps behind her quickened; Sonia was definitely being chased down. She never turned back to see who was pursuing her. She could feel them gaining on her. She thought desperately of a way to escape.

_I'VE GOT IT! _Sonia rounded a corner, then immediately slid under the nearest car.

Trying her best to not breathe, Sonia peeked from under the car to identify who was after her. For a few seconds she only heard the heavy pounding come closer and closer, see nothing but the darkness.

And then, a light began to pierce through the black.

Seeing the light, Sonia almost crawled out from under the car, relieved to see someone else.

The light became a roaring flame, burning through the abyss.

_THAT'S FIRE MAN!_ Sonia realized, quickly halting her advance.

She watched in horror as Fire Man walked past the car Sonia was under, scanning the streets for his prey.

After not being able to find her, he decided to try a different approach.

FWOOSH!

Fire Man spewed out flames from his fire cannons, setting the dark city ablaze.

Sonia watched as the fire incinerated everything in its path. A building was consumed in seconds, crumbling to the ground in a burning heap.

Sonia dove out from under the car, running down the street. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!" She yelled.

FWOOSH!

A fireball raced past Sonia's head. She watched as the blast hit a mailbox, turning it into a liquid puddle in an instant.

The night became alive as Fire Man stormed throughout the city, determined to eradicate her.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

Sonia cut through the city, desperate to shake Fire Man off of her tail. As she took cover from Fire Man, she could feel the heat of the burning buildings behind her. As more smoke clouded the streets, Sonia dropped to one knee, desperate for clean oxygen. As she looked around for places not set aflame, Sonia that there were two fires spread in opposite directions. And the fires seemed to start...looping in.

_He's not trying to shoot me, he's trying to trap me!_

Sonia watched as a giant ring of fire began to form.

_I HAVE TO OUTRUN IT!_

Scrambling through the streets, Sonia saw where the conjoining fires would intersect.

Sprinting as fast as she could, Sonia raced towards her one exit.

_I CAN MAKE IT!_

The flaming gates were closing in fast.

_I CAN MAKE IT!_

But she was faster.

_I CAN MAKE IT!_

Right before she could escape, a ball of fire blasted her from behind, dropping her to the ground and sending her skidding across the pavement.

Looking up from the ground, Sonia watched as the fire united, encircling her within the ring of flames

"NO!" She screamed.

Then she heard the heavy pounding steps from behind her. Her entire body trembling, Sonia turned around to see Fire Man.

"No. Please." She started crawling back. "Please, don't."

Sonia could only stare as Fire Man primed his Flame Cannons, the flames licking the air, as if in anticipation.

"Stop! Please! PLEASE!" Sonia pleaded.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Sonia screamed as the flames reached her, swallowing her in the inferno.

* * *

"AAAH!"

Sonia woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air.

"W-W-Where am I?!" She quickly looked around and realized she was in bed. At home. Safe.

_It's okay Sonia. Calm down. Calm down. It was just a bad dream._ She told herself. _Just get a snack or something, you'll be fine._

Tip-toeing out of bed, Sonia slowly opened the door. The lights in both Geo's and Hope's room were off.

Silently moving down to the kitchen, she moved over to a jar of cookies.

_Hope said I could only have three cookies at a time._ Sonia thought to herself, removing the lid. _But this is an emergency, so I'll take five this time!_

Quickly putting the lid back on, Sonia stealthily made her way back to her room, snacking on her cookies on the way there. _Without a trace._ She giggled to herself.

Sliding back into bed, Sonia was proud of herself. _I'm feeling better already. It was really nothing to worry about._ She laid her head on the pillow. _It was...just a... dream..._

FWOOSH!

* * *

"Drew!"

Colonel snapped out of sleep in his chair. "Sorry, dozed off for a second." Colonel turned to the window and looked to see Ace. C. Eos on a hospital bed. "How is he?"

"You're mechs were designed to keep you a safe as possible in case they were destroyed." Alia responded. "With that being said... Ace took a beating."

"Why don't you just put him through Project Genesis again? It's supposed to restore you, heal you up, right?" Colonel asked.

"You can't constantly go through something like Project Genisis Drew." Alia answered. "You can't keep reversing the natural human body while preserving the human mind. If you hadn't noticed, you still remember everything as if you were still a 50-year old. If I were to put you through Project Genesis again, you would risk severe memory loss, as well as damage your ability to think. You would also start to lose your sanity. So no Drew, putting Ace through Project Genesis again isn't an option."

She looked at Ace and sighed. "He's just going to have to tough this one out the old-fashioned way."

She turned back to Drew. "Anyways, how are you holding up? Your mech was almost totaled. If the armor wasn't as thick as it was, you would have been killed."

"I feel fine. Just a little sore." Drew muttered. "How long is it going to take before my mech is fixed."

"About a month or two. And that's with us working 24/7 on it. We almost had to scrap it. I don't know how longs it's going to take to make a new Acid mech."

"So what now? Am I just gonna sit on my ass and wait?"

"At this point,it'ss the only thing you can do." Alia leaned down and kissed Drew on the cheek. "Take a break. Heal up. Go on vacation. Just take care of yourself."

As Alia walked away, Colonel said something from behind her.

"You think we should discharge Ace? Get him out of here?"

"What, you mean like Zero and X? He's not that badly injured. If Ace wants to come back again, he can keep going."

"Should he though?" Colonel asked. "Sooner, or later, he's gonna get himself killed."

"Have some faith in him. You aren't exactly scratch free yourself. Besides, you and him are the only two with combat experience inside the mechs." Alia looked at her phone. "I gotta get back Drew, see you later."

"See you." Drew was left with his own thoughts as Alia went back to work.

_I hope those bastards don't come back soon, or else I'm gonna be sitting on the damn sidelines._

* * *

A day after his battle with his brother, Mega Man was right back to the battlefield quietly reflecting on his confrontation with Proto Man. While the snowfall had buried most of the evidence, the redwoods tree was still laying on the ground, and there was still the gash left in the tree from where Proto Man had been impaled.

"You're up early." Trigger said, landing on the ground beside him.

"Couldn't sleep." Mega Man somberly responded.

"So, what went wrong?" Trigger asked.

"When I first touched down, I was completely ready to destroy him. But then he told me he was my brother."

Mega Man paused for a second, his face falling in shame. "And that's when it all changed."

"How?"

"I-I-I didn't want to believe that Dad and Grandad were capable of building a machine so hateful. So I tried to reason with him, talk to him. At one point, I had a Rolling Cutter to his throat. I could have finished him then and then. I could have... I could have...but I tried to make him surrender..."

"And the rest is history." Trigger finished.

"I didn't want to kill him. But I could have." Mega Man said. "I know I'm more powerful than him."

"He just wanted it more?" Trigger asked.

"Yeah. He just wanted to win so much more." Mega Man said. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to have to destroy my brother."

"At this point, I don't think you have much of a choice, especially from the way you describe him. You're a marked man. Still, I feel like you aren't giving Proto Man enough credit. IF he can beat you at all, he can beat you again."

"I can beat him." Mega Man balled his fist. "I was winning the fight until I let up."

"You still lost." Trigger countered. "Doesn't that concern you at all?"

"No. Proto Man is taken care of."

"You sound like someone whose mouth is writing checks their ass can't cash."

"More like I'm talking like someone with money in the bank, Trigger. Piss off."

"If you say so. Where was this attitude when you fought Proto Man?"

Mega Man growled. "I'm the most powerful robot in the world. I've got Proto Man handled."

"You must have had Chinese last night, because that chip on your shoulder smells like beef and bullshit."

"I've done more work than you!" Mega Man snapped, turning to Trigger in a fit of rage.

"Yeah, and now you're going around acting like what happened yesterday is no big deal. This guy has the same abilities as you, and out of nowhere, just straight up came and beat you. And now, you come up in here, and you're just shrugging it off like your Superman. 'Oh, I just took it easy on him. I'll get him next time!' You don't really think that do you?"

"Okay, let's just say he's better than me. That I can't beat him. What do you want to me do? Go to a news station, and just tell the whole world 'Hey everyone! There's this guy Wily has that I can't defeat! Guess that means I have to surrender. Good luck in the impending apocalypse!'"

"I'm just saying let's be tactful about this. Right now Proto Man is the biggest threat right? Let me fight him and hold him off. Maybe then you can pick off another Robot Master. It would be slow. But it would make this easier in the long run."

"_You_ think you can honestly take on Proto Man? If I couldn't beat him, what makes you think you can? I will defeat Proto Man next time I see him. I just need to stop laying around and not take it easy on him."

"Hold on a second. You think you're that much better than me? You know what? Screw trying to help you. You're on your own with Proto Man. Don't expect me to come save you again."

"I won't." Mega Man didn't even bother to watch Trigger fly away. Instead, he walked through the snow until he found a Rolling Cutter lying on the ground. Picking it up, he clenched it in his hand. _Next time._ He thought. _Next time I won't let you beat me._

* * *

Entering stealth mode, Proto Man walked into the hospital. Lan was here somewhere, he had to find him.

Proto Man had mixed feelings as he walked down the corridors of the hospital. It had been so long since he had seen Lan.

Something had been bothering Proto Man for a while now. Halloween night, the night he and Lan met again, he didn't recognize Lan. Why?

He couldn't have forgotten Lan could he? How could he ever forget about Lan? It's not making any sense.

As he stood at the door to Lan's room, Proto Man stopped. Would Lan even want Proto Man to see him? This wasn't the same Lan that he had been brothers with all those years ago. Light and Hikari would have definitely turned Lan against him. But, deep down, Proto Man knew that Lan, the _real_ Lan, cared about him. _And I have to show I care about him too._

Entering he saw Lan, and bouquet of flowers at his bedside. The bouquet had a card with them. _"Please come back. I miss you. -Maylu"_

Tossing it aside, Proto Man looked at his sick brother. Proto Man's one regret of the whole thing was that Lan had becoming involved in this mess. Mega Man, who was supposed to be Proto Man's_ advancement,_ had failed in his duty as a 'hero'.

"Lan... I'm sorry you were caught in all of this. Rock is too weak to protect you and keep you safe. But I can take care of you. I know a place where I can take you were you'll be safe until all of this blows over. But you have to wake up first. Just wake up for me Lan. Wake up."

"I'm almost finished with my routine checks!" Proto Man heard a voice say. "I just gotta check on that Hikari kid. Wait, who left the door open?"

"Crap I got sloppy." Proto Man chided himself. "Goodbye for now Lan. See you soon."

Walking past the nurse, Proto Man walked out of the hospital.

_Blues._

Lan's fingers twitched.


	72. Happy Few

Tron Bonne came to the front of Caskett Mansion on her snowmobile while the December snow came down around her. There were only a few weeks before Christmas, and she wanted to get Volnutt a gift. That meant hanging around him more, which Tron had no problem with. The problem, of course, was having to see Caskett and deal with her while staying focused on Volnutt.

Taking out the housekey that she may/may not have been allowed to have, Tron opened the door to find Volnutt in the foyer, talking with that Geo and that Misora chick.

"...Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, Rock's acting so stupid by - oh hey Tron!" Volnutt turned to meet her.

"Hey Volnutt, I was wondering if you'd like to go hang out with me today."

"Actually Tron... I should stay here, Barrell has some inventions that he's working on. We're just waiting around until he's finished."

"Oooo. Can I look?" Tron's eyes with curiosity as she approached the laboratory.

"NO!" Volnutt, Geo, and Misora all got up in front of her, blocking her path. "We, um... don't want to mess up his concentration at all!" Volnutt said.

"Yeah, and it's... uh... top secret! He's not even giving us all of the details." Geo added.

Glyde stepped out from the laboratory. "I couldn't help but overhear you young chaps. It's going to take time for Barrell to complete his work. Why don't you guys head out into town for the day, and entertain yourselves?"

"A-Are you sure?" Misora asked. "We can't do _anything_ to help here?"

"No. It's fine. Go out." Glyde walked up to the staircase. "ROLL CASKETT! GET DRESSED AND GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT! YOU'RE GOING OUT TODAY!"

"I DON'T WANNA!" A voice from upstairs protest back. "I'M BINGE WATCHING GUNDAM WING!"

"YOU ARE GOING TO FACE REALITY AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD TODAY YOUNG LADY, AND YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE IT!"

"JUST LET ME FINISH THIS EPISODE! I JUST STARTED IT!"

"TURN THAT COMPUTER OFF RIGHT NOW! DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"

"UGH! FINE! YOU HAVE THE WORST TIMING! GIVE ME LIKE 10 MINUTES!"

"YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES, AND TEN MINUTES ONLY!" Glyde finished shouting. "She'll be with you in a few moments."

"Does she have to come along?" Tron groaned as Glyde returned to the basement."

"Since we are leaving, let me run upstairs and get my sweater and stuff, be right back!"

Tron moaned as Volnutt went up the stairs. Hopefully he and Roll won't come back down together. That'd be a bittersweet sight to see.

"So, since we're all just waiting here, what have you two been up to?" She said to Geo and Misora. Those two looked rough, especially Misora.

"Nothing, just... spent the whole day with Volnutt yesterday."

"Really, what does he like?" Tron might be to get some useful information from him.

"Uhhhh..." _Don't say fighting, don't say fighting..._ "cars, motorcycles, racing stuff in general."

"Ooooh, thanks!" Tron sat on the couch to think. "By the way, sorry for smashing your face in that one time."

"...Thanks. I guess."

* * *

Walking into Spica Mall, Geo realized that Sonia had been completely quiet on the walk to the mall. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Was the timid response.

"You've just been awfully quiet all day. Is something wrong? You look tired."

"I just... didn't wake up feeling well."

"Oh, alright then." Geo understood that, waking up sore from his fight with Elec Man. Still, he felt like he should strike up a conversation. "So, what should our fighting names be? I think you're right, 'Star' doesn't sound all that good."

"Um, okay." Sonia accepted the conversation and starting thinking of names for Geo in his EM wave form. "How about 'Ryuusei?'"

"'Ryuusei?' Why?"

"It means 'shooting star' in Japanese. Well technically it means 'meteor' but since meteors are shooting stars, it's pretty interchangeable. It comes up a lot in J-pop songs. I should know, I am J-pop artist with an American audience."

"'Ryuusei'... I mean, it kinda sounds cool, but I'd rather my name be something in a language I can speak. And if it's in English, 'Shooting Star' just sound really kiddy."

"Well you _are _a kid." Sonia pointed out. "But I guess when you're fighting for your life against killer death machines, calling yourself Shooting Star doesn't sound all that tough. I'll think of something else then."

Geo could see a bit of disappointment in Sonia's eyes that he hadn't accepted the name. "You know what? 'Ryuusei' sound good, I'll stick with that."

"Are-Are you sure?" Sonia asked

"Yeah, it's a nice name, thanks for it. I would have never came up with it myself. Maybe you can teach me more Japanese sometime."

"Sure, I don't mind. I'll teach you." Sonia turned away, blushing a little.

Geo looked back forward to find that Volnutt, Caskett, and Tron were gone. They had been lost in the sea of people bustling about in Spica Mall doing Christmas shopping.

"Stay close." He pulled Sonia's in next to him. "We can meet up with the rest of them later. "You don't have a phone, so I can't lose you in this giant mall."

Now Sonia was blushing _a lot_ as she walked side by side with Geo, arm in arm. _I should really start looking around for Christmas presents for Geo._ She thought to herself. _He really does deserve it..._

Geo spotted two familiar faces walking around. "Rock! Maylu! Hey, over here!"

The four of them met up inside a Gamestop. "What are you two doing out?" Geo asked.

"It's Lan! He's waking up!" Rock said excitedly.

"He's awake? Right now?!" Geo's eyes lit up. Lan was back.

"No, he's not awake right now. He's moving his fingers and arms, he's blinking, he's definitely doing better!" Maylu said.

"So we decided to get him a Christmas present for when he comes out. "It's gonna be great, It's gonna be great, It's gonna be great."

Maylu started looking around. "Hey Rock, do you think he would like this 'Battle Network' game?"

"Probably. We'll take it. Get one for each of us." Rock said. He turned back to Geo and Misora. "Are you guys here for Christmas shopping too?"

"Nah, we're just looking around. We came here with Volnutt and the girls. By the way...what's with you and Volnutt?"

Rock's face soured at the mention of Volnutt as Maylu bought the game. "Volnutt thinks he can help me, he's going to get himself killed. I can take care of myself. Volnutt just needs to focus on himself and you two."

"Volnutt was really pissed at you today. Let's not fight about this. We have enough problems with the Robot Masters. Hold on-" Geo got out his phone and started texting Volnutt. "Meet us at Food Court."

"Great." Rock groaned.

* * *

Meeting at the food court, the girls decided it was best to grab a bite to eat. So while Tron and Roll walked off fighting about who was going to pay the bill, Geo was left with Volnutt and Rock at the table. _Perfect, now we can get this sorted out._

"Listen guys," Geo started off. "I know it has been a crazy past few months, but we can't let all of this go to our heads."

"Tell that to Rock." Volnutt said. "He's been the one acting like such a prick."

"Proto Man wants _me. _Me and me only. Don't get involved between me and him." Rock said.

"If you can't beat him, why are you fighting him?" Volnutt asked.

"I can beat him, what makes you think I can't?"

"You didn't beat him the first time." Volnutt pointed out.

"So? That doesn't mean I can't beat him the next time."

"You beat Fire Man, Bomb Man, and Guts Man on your first try. Didn't you even have Elec Man beat?"

"Well Proto Man is just a little bit more powerful than the Robot Masters, so I'm sorry if it takes more than one time to take him down."

"You would have gotten killed if we hadn't made the save. You're lucky you're going to even _get_ a second chance."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Rock pounded on the table. "I _know_ I should be dead, I _know_ I messed up, and I _know_ this is going to be my_ last_ chance. But _I_ have to do it. Me. No one else."

Geo and Volnutt flashed each other a quick look. _Approach with caution._ Volnutt though. "I'm just saying make this easier on yourself. I could come in, we could tag-team Proto Man, quick as lightning. He would never see it coming. Rock, look at the big picture here: this isn't just a fight, this is a _war._ We are at _war_ right now. Do you understand that? You don't just have a series of fights where you just take one guy, and you put him up against another guy and hope for the best. In war, you _strategize._ Proto Man is the big fish. He should be our top priority. Everything should be centered around taking him out."

"Alright, let's just say that we go with your plan. That leaves Geo, Sonia, and Rush to take on the Robot Masters, 3 on 3. Now I know Rush is going to do his job, but what about Geo and Sonia? Volnutt, do you really think those two are ready to take on the Robot Masters by themselves? Without you being there at all?"

Volnutt paused and thought about it. "We have to see what Barrell new upgrades are, but I think from what I saw last time that they-"

Self-preservation took over. "I don't think we're ready." Geo blurted out. "We still need Volnutt fighting with us, to watch our backs. Besides, if you need an assist, there's always Repliforce, right?"

"From the way you describe it, Repliforce looks knocked out unless they made spare mechs. I wouldn't count on them." Rock said. "And with the Mets and other robots, you might not be able to spare a hand."

"So back to square one: we have no plan." Volnutt said. "I just wish we could work _together._"

"We have a bunch of 1 on 1 skirmishes, we have to take what we can get." Rock said. "Look, we're just going to have to work off of whatever they throw at us next time."

"What if that means fighting the robot army again? I don't think blowing up Wal-Mart is going to work again. And if Repliforce is out like you think it is... that's checkmate."

Rock though about that daunting prospect, then leaned back on his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, that sounds like Doomsday. I don't... I don't see us winning that unless we blow something huge up again."

The table fell silent.

"We're all going to die, aren't we?" Geo said sullenly, looking down at the table.

"If they're smart and press their huge numbers advantage, yeah, yeah we are." Rock said. _How did Wily even make his army? If he's on an island, he shouldn't have the resources to make a force that large or that powerful. But I guess at this point, it doesn't really matter. We have no way of fighting his massive armies._

The girls came back over, platters full of food. "We got food, Caskett paid for it, so eat u-"

She and the other girls noted the dejected faces on the three boys. "Guys, what's wrong?" Maylu asked.

Tron decided it was time to take charge. "Listen," she slammed her hands on the table. "I've been sensing a lot of hostility and sadness from you guys all day. Well as it turns out, I'm a great people person, so I'm gonna help you out."

"Oh God, she's serious." Roll said.

"Frankly, none of you have time to be sad." Tron said. "If those creepy Robot Masters kill Mega Man and those other guys, we're all gonna end up dead or enslaved or something else. This could be our last Christmas, if we make it to Christmas! So perk up! We'll have plenty of time to be sad later if things go wrong."

Everyone at the table was left speechless.

"...That was...the worst 'cheer up' speech I have ever heard." Maylu said.

"But I'm not wrong though!" Tron pointed out. "We should be living it up! Here, let's go check out the arcade! It's across the street from the mall. We'll be there in 10 minutes, max."

"We should probably go, Barrell should be done by now." Geo said. Hopefully Barrell could give him something that could protect him from the Masters.

"Ah, come on." She turned Volnutt's chair around to face him. "Don't you want to go Volnutt, have a little fun?"

_No._ Roll, who was behind Tron, mouthed to Volnutt. _Please no. God no. Leave, now_.

"I mean, she does make a point, why not just check it out?" Volnutt said.

_I HAVE HAD MY FILL OF BONNE TODAY! _Roll thought. "I wouldn't waste time Volnutt, just saying."

"Nah, Barrell said it would take all day, we have plenty of time."

"Great, let's eat and head over there, really fast!" Tron ripped the platter from Roll's hand, threw it down on the table, and started munching furiously on her tater tots.

_You better take down all of those Robot Masters, Volnutt. I swear if I have to spend all this time with Tron JUST to get enslaved..._

"As fun as that would be, honestly I gotta get these home." Maylu held up the bags containing the 'Battle Network' games.

"How many did you buy?" Misora asked.

"Oh, I got 6 gaming systems of it. Apparently, we all need to have one. I got one for me, Lan, Rock, mini-Roll, and if any of you guys want to join on later."

"Yeah, let me just get my food to-go." Rock said, getting out of his chair and wrapping up his sandwich. "We didn't drive here, and we better walk back and make sure we don't lose these."

"Well then, in that case we're off. See you guys later. I'll let you know if anything else happens with Lan." Rock started walking away with Maylu. "So, you really think he's gonna be out by Christmas?" He asked her as they walked off.

"I just know it." Maylu said eagerly. "It's gonna be the best Christmas present ever..." She said as they disappeared into the crowd.

"Alright then." Volnutt said, finishing his food. "Let's go look at this arcade while we got some time to kill."

"You heard the man! To the arcade we go!" Tron grabbed his arm and started leading him away. "Try not to lag too far behind Caskett!"

* * *

"Where did she take him?!" Roll Caskett stormed into the arcade. Tron had yanked Volnutt away with blinding speed, and Roll had lost them in the crowd. Roll was now in full rescue-mode. Getting past admission, Roll looked around all of the arcade machines, past the crane grabber and slot machines when she heard-

"127! Good job Volnutt!"

Roll turned. Volnutt was at the basketball machines, Tron leaning her head on his shoulders.

_There you are._

Roll walked up and ripped Tron right off of Volnutt's arm. "We were all supposed to come here _together._" She hissed.

"Maybe if you weren't so slow! This just proves that I can do anything better than you!" Tron shouted back.

"Oh really?" Roll pointed at the machines. "Me. You. Hoops. One round. Highest score wins."

Volnutt tried to intervene. "Girls, you don't have to-"

"NOT NOW!" They both pushed him out of the way.

"I'll go first." Roll said, putting in a quarter.

"Whatever. Save the best for last." Tron said.

Roll saw that Tron was trying to stifle a smile as the machine started up. Something was up.

30 seconds were on the clock. QUARTER 1: START

Roll started putting up shots. 2 for touching the rim/backboard, 3 for swishes. _Come on, come on._ Roll thought as she kept shooting. _I need to beat Tron and put her in her place. _Fortunately for Roll, most of her shots went in. 37 points.

QUARTER 2: START

Roll held a basketball in hand, ready to put up a shot when, the hoop started moving, going back-and-forth horizontally along a groove across the machine.

"Hey! What gives?" Roll said, trying to shoot at the moving rim. The balls kept bouncing off of the rim. _COME ON, GO IN!_ At the end of the round, Roll looked in disgust at her score. 55 points.

She heard laughing on the floor behind her. It was Tron, rolling around with tears in her eyes. "Maybe if you had let me go first Caskett, you would have seen it coming like I did! The next one's going to go up and down."

"Up and down?" Roll saw the vertical groove in the center. QUARTER 3: START

Seeing it coming, Roll thought she would do better, but every shot bounced off of the back iron of the backboard._ ARE YOU SERIOUS! _Roll thought. She looked over at Tron, who was making the choking sign with her hands. Roll stepped back and put less power on her shot, either having it tip in or making a swish.

_I did good.__ I think._ Roll looked at her score as the final quarter approached. 81 points.

QUARTER 4: START

The machine went in all four directions, even moving faster than before. Roll could barely get a shot in, with most of them bouncing off somewhere on the rim. _STOP. BOUNCING. AND. GO. IN._ With 15 seconds left, Roll palmed the basketball in both hands and started heaving them up, praying a few would go in. As the final buzzer sounded off, Roll looked at her score and groaned. 110.

"Alright Caskett, you had your chance. Now it's my turn." Tron shoved her out of the way.

"Doesn't matter anyway, it's not like your going to win." Roll mumbled. "I'm so sure of it, I'm not even going to look. That way, you have no excuses when you lose."

...

QUARTER 4: START

Out of curiosity, Roll turned around and looked.

Tron had 90 points going into fourth quarter. _Oh no._ Roll thought.

Tron was taking slow, deliberate shots, making swish after swish! _SHE NEVER TAKES ANYTHING THIS SLOW! I THOUGHT SHE'D JUST THROW THE BASKETBALLS AT THE RIM!_

99-102-105-108-

Tron was about to take the game winning shot, when-

WHAP!

Roll knocked it to the floor.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Trom put up another shot, Roll blocked that one too.

WHAP! "NOT TODAY!"

WHAP! "NOT IN MY HOUSE!"

Tron heaved up shot after shot, and Roll put them all down as time ran out.

"OUT OF THE WAY CASKETT!" Tron pushed Roll out of the way to get off one good shot...

and it bounced off of the rim.

"YES! I WON! 108-110!" Roll said.

"YOU CHEATED SO HARD!" Tron protested.

"All we said was that the highest score wins. There are no rules that say I can't play defense on you." Roll said.

"There are no rules to say I can't do THIS either!" Tron started picking up the basketballs and started chucking them at Roll's face. Roll dodged the first run, and started running through the arcade, Tron chasing her.

"Would you stop that?" Volnutt said, running after them "They are going to kick us out!"

* * *

"So, why didn't you want to go to the arcade? I thought would like something like that." Geo asked Sonia.

"I do like arcades, but I didn't feel like going." Sonia replied.

After quietly sitting down to eat at the mall, Geo and Sonia decided to walk home in the snow.

"So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Geo ask.

"I don't really want to do anything, I guess." She said glumly. "Listen Geo, what happens if we have to fight the Robot Masters alone? Like what Volnutt said?"

"You heard that?" Geo said in surprise.

"I heard everything you guys said, I just didn't decide to say anything." Sonia looked away. "I don't... I don't think I can beat a Robot Master yet. Maybe you can, but I can't."

"What about when you fought Fire Man?"

"Volnutt had to save me. Don't you remember? I told you how he blasted Fire Man with a fire hydrant. It would have been funny if my life wasn't on the line."

"Well, maybe Barrell is going to give us some huge upgrades. He's working so hard, he has to! Don't worry about it." Geo flashed her a smile, but he too felt uneasy about everything.

"But like what you guys talked about, if the worse case scenario happens... we're gonna die."

"Don't say that!" Geo said. "It may not be that bad."

"But if it is?" Sonia said, looking at him with fear.

"I-I-I don't know okay?!" Geo snapped. "I don't know what's going to happen, so don't ask me."

"You're right." Sonia said, looking away. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Nonononononono. That was wrong of me. I am so sorry. I should never be mad at you." Geo quickly said. "It's just, I don't know what else to do. I'm just... I'm just scared."

"I'm scared too."

The two walked back home together in silence. Hope was still at work, so the two had the house to themselves.

Taking off his scarf and mittens, Geo turned to see Sonia tuning her guitar.

"You know, whenever I got scared, my mom used to play her guitar." She said softly. "It would... always make me calm. Everything just felt better when I just stopped thinking and listened to the music."

Geo looked down for a second. "Hey, Sonia? I know this is gonna sound a little weird but, do you mind if I just listen to you play? It doesn't have to be for long."

"No! No I don't mind at all. Sit down."

Sonia finished tuning her guitar as Geo settled down on the bed. "I've haven't had an audience of 1 in a long time."

"I guess that means I should feel honored, huh?" Geo said, doing his best to avoid having his cheeks turn beet red. _This must be so awkward for her. To only have just me to play for. She really deserves more than me._

Sonia closed her eyes and started to play. A few random melodies at first, each sounding rather sad and rushed. Then a certain song caught her mind, and she started playing it, And before she knew it,

_"Fields of the unknown are splitting up this world_

_and even though I know that I can't see it all I feel inside there's something more I pray to find the hope I had before Sometimes I wonder why... you cry Sometimes I dream that someday you'll be mine Even in this moment I wanna hold your hands And drift away from the clouds of everyday_

_This is how I always want to feel inside..."_

She opened her eyes again. Geo sat back, face frozen in stunned silence.

"Did-did I do something wrong?" Sonia asked nervously. She hadn't practiced her vocals before the started singing. Maybe she sounded off-key. Maybe she had completely butchered her own song. Maybe she-

"That. Was. Amazing." Geo said.

"You, you really think so?" Sonia asked.

"Yeah, you're absolutely incredible. I can see why your so popular. I mean, I listened to all of your songs and albums, but then you sung in front of me and..wow. Just wow. That was something else."

Sonia used her guitar to cover her face. He liked it. He really really really liked it. And he listened to all of her songs? He like her music that much? "Do you want me to play more?" she asked.

"Yes, please." Geo said eagerly.

"Alright, here we go I guess." She said.

"_I gave my heart..."_


	73. Revamped

One Week Later

* * *

Volnutt opened the door to Caskett Mansion. Geo and Misora were waiting outside. "Glad you got our text," Volnutt said.

"We weren't gonna wait around for something as big as this!" Misora said as she and Geo stepped inside. "That Tron girl isn't here, is she?"

"No Sonia, we have the place to ourselves for right now." Volnutt closed the door.

"Barrell's waiting for us in his lab, right?" Geo asked.

"Yeah, he is. I have no idea what took him so long. He said he was gonna be done in a day, and it ends up being a week. I just hope whatever he has, it's worth the wait."

Geo and Sonia eagerly walked into the lab to see Barrell sitting down while the Transers were laid on on the desk.

"Good morning you two. I have spent the last week making some major changes to your Transers. I think your will both be pleaseantly suprised."

"What kind of changes?" Geo asked.

"I created these electronic 'Battle Cards' and installed them into your Transers to help you change equipment at a moments notice. Let's run through the list:

We have your arm EM Wave Cannon as the default card. I changed your arm cannons, so instead of one shot, I was able to divide the EM Wave energy into 10 shots. You can still unload that powerful charged shot, but it will take all 10 shots to do so. You can reload at any time, however, the more energy you need to reload, the longer the recharge takes.

There is the card that the ability to turn your EM Wave cannons into a Plasma Gun. The Plasma Gun doesn't do as much damage as the EM Wave power. The benefit of the Plasma Gun is that enemies are paralyzed for a period of time.

You have the Air Spread, which turns your cannon into a tri-shot. However, due to the output of having to shoot out and spread out 3 blasts at once, the blasts themselves don't do a lot of damage. It's a way to protect the cannon and you.

Fourth is a Sword card. Now, because it has to maintain a sword shape, the energy output is low, which means one slash doesn't do much damage. However, the swords are extremely light to they will compliment your high speed.

There is a technique I put into a card called the Jet Attack. You can rush forward in a straight line at hyper-fast speed.

If you need to boost your attack, use the Attack card ti increase the damage of your moves. Use it carefully, your overall energy output will lower once your done using it to compensate for the attack. And actually, I have created the Battle Card Predation. It's designed to give you a rush of energy, and it systematically brings you down from your energy boost back to your normal state, so you won't feel any exhausting effects. l also have created a Shield, Barrier, and Recovery cards. Which reminds me, I figured out a way for you to manage your health. At the top left corner of your Transer, I put your EM Wave Stability. It's simple. When you drop down to 0, you will fall out of EM Wave Form."

And with that, I believe that is it! So take your new equipment." Barrell handed the Transers to Geo and Sonia

"Wow! That's amazing!" Sonia excitedly slipped on her Transer. "All of this new gear is going to be great! Right Geo?"

"Totally. This was definitely worth the wait. Thanks Barrell, for all of your work." Geo said.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Barrell said. "your Battle Cards all have recharge times, so be careful how you use them. And if you want to go back to two hands, just hit the Hand Button on the Transer."

"I want to try them out right now!" Sonia started running out of the laboratory and down the hall."

"Sonia! Wait!" Geo chased after her.

* * *

Dashing outside, Sonia powered up her Transers. "_EM Wave Change! Sonia Sky On-Air!"_

Energy flowed from her Transer and wrapped itself around her body. When she opened her eyes again, she found that she was in EM Wave form."

"Sonia! Be careful!" Geo came rushing outside. "You can't just Wave Change out in the open! What if someone sees you?"

"It's 'Harp Note' for right now. Come one, no one is out here, Wave Change already!"

Geo quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching, then activated his Transer. _"EM Wave Change! Geo Stelar, On-Air!"_

"See? It's no big deal, _Ryuusei._" Harp Note said as Geo finished his Wave Change.

"It's about what _could _have happened." Ryuusei said. "Now let's get out of here before anyone sees us."

Turning on their jets, Ryuusei and Harp Note flew over to the nearby woodlands. Landing in a clearing the two decided to start examining their equipment.

"Alright, let's look at these Battle Cards. I'll try out the Sword Card." Ryuusei cycled through the Transer until-

_KSSSHIIING!_

A green blade emerged from Ryuusei's arm. "Woah!" Ryuusei stepped back in surprise. "I didn't expect it to be part of my arm! I thought I would have to hold it, not be it!" He started waving it around to get a feel for it.

"Hey, watch where you point that thing!" Harp Note said, stepping back to avoid getting slashed.

"Sorry." Ryuusei quickly put it away.

"You know, if you want to use your weapons, we could train against each other." Harp Note said.

"Wait, you mean fight?" Ryuusei asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, it would be good for us, and we do have those recovery cards. It would only be for a little while."

"I wouldn't give it my all." Ryuusei tried to dismiss it. "Besides, I don't want to fight someone I care about."

Harp Note tried to avoid blushing. "Come on! We have to be ready for when the Masters come back."

Ryuusei turned his head away. "Maybe some other time."

"So, do you want to race?" Harp Note offered.

"Race where?"

"We could go to the end of the ridge and back." She made a huge X in the ground with her Sword. "There we go."

"Alright then, I'll race you."

Ryuusei and Harp Note turned on their jets and got into racing positions. "On your mark," Geo said. 'get set,-"

"GO!" Harp Note pushed him down and then took off.

"HEY!" Ryuusei quickly got up and flew after her.

"COME AND CATCH ME SLOW-POKE!" Harp Note called to him.

Seeing a small forest, Harp Note decided to dive into it. Weaving her way in and out of redwood trees and tree branches, Ryuusei emerged from the other side unscathed.

"Wow, that was amazing!" She said to herself. "I still can't believe I'm honestly flying right now. This all feels like such a dream."

"I know, right?"

Harp Note looked up. Ryuusei was flying over her.

"How did you catch up to me?"

"While you were moving around in the trees, I was going straight overhead."

"Oh come on! That's totally cheating!"

"_That's_ cheating?"

"Yeah it is! Next time fly down with me."

"I'm not flying down there! There could be wolves in those woods!"

"You're afraid of wolf woods? Come on! What wolves would mess with us!"

"I'm just saying you don't know what could happen!" Ryuusei shouted.

"If I was afraid of things that could happen, I wouldn't be doing _any_ of this right now!"

Sonia dive-bombed to the nearing treeline.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!-" Ryuusei said right before Harp Note came up again.

"I got you an apple." Harp Note tossed him a snack as she bit into her own apple. "Mmm. Juicy."

Once she was finished, she threw the apple core at Ryuusei, bonking him in the head. "See you at the finish line!" She then raced off ahead.

"That's the second time!" Ryuusei sped up to try to keep pace.

Looping around the long and wide Echo Ridge, Harp Note smiled as she touched down on the finish line first. "Guess that means I win, huh?"

"You cheated twice!" Ryuusei protested as he landed.

"You had your chance to catch up! That just means for sure that you're not faster than me!" Harp Note concluded.

"Ugh. So what do you want to do now?"

"Well, since I won, I should get something right?" Harp Note. quickly thought it over. "How about... ice cream and a movie?"

"You... you mean like a _date?_"

Sonia looked away from him, stunned. She was not ready for that word. "Are you asking me out?"

_She must be so embarrassed that I would even ask her something like that. I better change the subject._ "No. It's just the way you said it... nevermind. Actually, I was planning on going to see Rock. I was wondering if Lan had woken up yet."

"Sure! We can go right now!" Harp Note quickly rose back into the air and started flying off towards DenTech City. _That wasn't supposed to sound like a date. Why did I make it sound like date? But, I mean, it's not that I would say no to him asking me out on one. I just didn't want to make it seem awkward if I said yes and he's not interested in me..._

Ryuusei suddenly grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?!" She yelled as her whole face filled with red.

"We're almost into town. We should probably land before anyone sees us."

"Oh, alright then. That makes sense, I guess."

* * *

"Is he actually awake?" Maylu looked over at Rock. The two were sitting in the waiting room of Seaside Hospital.

"The doctors said he was awake and that they were checking on him to see how stable he was. We just have to wait." He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Are you ready for this?"

"It's been almost over a month. Of course I'm ready for this."

A nurse walked up to them. "You may see Lan now. Be careful, he only just re-learned how to speak 2 days ago."

Maylu and Rock stood up. "Alright, let's do this." Nervously walking to Lan's room, they walked in to see him lying on the hospital bed.

"Lan?"

At the sight of Maylu and Rock, Lan tried to sit up off of his bed, using his elbows for support. His arms quickly gave out from him, and he fell back onto the bed. With a sigh, Lan pressed a button on his bed which set his bed up.

"Lan. Are you... okay?"

"Yeah," he whispered with a groan. "Hey, guys. How are you doing? Where's Mom and Dad and the others?"

"Dad and Grandad are off doing some stuff for the lab, Roll and Auto are taking care of the Cossacks, Mom is out shopping for dinner. I'm sure they'll come soon."

"It's okay, I'm just happy to see you two. That dance was crazy."

"I got something for you." Rock reached into his pocket and pulled out Lan's bandanna. He walked over and tied it around Lan's head.

"Thanks. You'd think they'd let you keep it on for just one night. Guess not."

"One night?"

"Okay, almost a day. But still, they could have left it on."

"Lan, do you know what day it is?" Tears started running down her face. "It's December 15th. You've been in a coma since Halloween night. It's been 6 weeks."

Lan's eyes widened. "What?" His mind started to turn as he realized what had happened.

"Listen, Lan, I know that's a lot to process right now, but you have to calm down."

"It's just..." Lan fell silent, thoughts drifting off into space. "wow. Six weeks gone. Just like that."

"I'm just glad you're back." Maylu gave him a delicate hug. "I missed you so much."

"... Me too."

"Lan? Is that you?" Geo came in, along with some girl Lan didn't think he had ever seen before. She was wearing a hoodie on her head and blue tinted glasses. "It really is you, you're back!"

"Geo. It's been a while, huh?" Lan coughed. He was definitely nowhere near completely healthy, and far from where he was before entering his coma. The growing boy that was once Lan had been reduced to a sickly skinny frame.

"Maybe you should rest, you look exhausted," Maylu said.

"I don't feel exhausted, I _am_ exhausted." Lan was starting to strain to continue the conversation. "But it's been 6 weeks, I'm not ready to stop just yet. So Geo, who is this?"

"I'm Son-Misora. It's nice to finally meet you! Geo has said so much about you."

"We all have so much to tell you," Geo said. "It has been a crazy 6 weeks."

"Tell me when I get out of here and back home. I probably wouldn't remember it now anyway."

"So, just wondering, what's the last thing you remember?"

Lan paused to think about it for a second. "I remember... flying over DenTech City. Then everything becomes blurry. I think I may have heard something in the hospital, and everything just fades to black." Lan started gasping for breath and leaned back on his bed. "Ugh. I feel so tired. I just came out of a coma, what is wrong with me?"

"Well don't worry. You're going to get out of here soon. And then you are going to get back to normal no time."

"Am I getting out before Christmas?"

"Hopefully. Don't worry. When you get out, we are throwing you the best Christmas party ever. I promise. Just get some rest." Maylu gave him another hug, and the others joined in.

"You guys are coming back later right?"

"Yeah, of course, whenever you need us to run up here, we'll be here." Rock said.

"Good. I'm honestly so hungry right now. Do you think you can get me some curry?"

Rock laughed and wiped away a tear. "Of course Lan, anything for you."

"Just get some rest. See you soon Lan." Maylu said, waving goodbye.

Lan gave a weak wave back before closing his eyes and going back to sleep.

* * *

_Today has been amazing._ Geo thought as the group walked down the street. _First we got our upgrades, and now Lan's awake! _He looked at Sonia. _Still, I keep forgetting that the Wave Change takes off Sonia's hair dye. I'm so glad I thought fast and had her put on a hood._

"Now that Lan is awake, I hope we can get him out of that hospital soon." Rock said. "I haven't thought about it until now, but I am _so_ glad the Robot Masters didn't attack the hospital when they came last time. Lan was a sitting duck in that hospital room. At least at home we'll be able to take care of him better."

"Things are looking up just at the right time, huh?" Misora said.

"Yeah. Yeah they are." Rock's thoughts slowly drifted back to his brother Proto Man. _I've got a family to protect. Now there's no way I can let him win. I promise I'll protect you Lan. I'll do whatever it takes._


End file.
